Man United 2-0 Man City: Pep Guardiola explains surprising Erling Haaland call in Manchester derby

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has said that he replaced Erling Haaland late on in the Manchester derby in order to bring "new energy" to the side.

Haaland struggled to make his mark during what was a difficult afternoon for the Citizens, with Man United running out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford.

The Norway international only had 14 touches before being replaced in the 80th minute as part of a triple change by the visitors.

Haaland looked surprised when he went to take his spot on the bench, and Guardiola has said that he simply wanted "new energy" after falling two goals behind.

The 25-year-old is having another excellent season, scoring 20 times in the Premier League, but he struggled to make his mark against Man United's centre-back duo of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez, with the Red Devils keeping a clean sheet.

Guardiola: "The better team won"

"Part of that yes. We had new energy. At the end it is a question of how many moments you have," Guardiola told Sky Sports News when asked if his decision to replace Haaland was due to 'saving legs'.

Guardiola also insisted that Man United deserved to win the Manchester derby.

"The better team won. They were better. When a team is better you have to accept it. They had the energy we didn't have, so congratulations," said the Man City boss.

"They had the chances at the end and of course the goals we conceded were poorly. We didn't control but in general we can talk about this action or that action. We have the duty to analyse the game in general and they were better.

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"They started really strong, we lost one or two balls. The crowd is normal, because it is a derby. In many years they have been behind them and also with the new manager it is normal these kind of things in the game.

"We never made a threat or a cross or a movement to try and win that. It is also part of the energy, win or lose it is about what we do with the ball as well, not just without. It is not about one player.

"It is about how we grow up as a team. I have the feeling we have done very good things so far. To be better you may have to take a step back. The season is a long way and you have to continue to analyse."

The result has left Man City in second spot in the Premier League table, six points behind second-placed Arsenal, who now have a game in hand.