Pablo Zabaleta surprised by "crazy" Marouane Fellaini reaction

Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta has admitted that he was surprised by Marouane Fellaini's "crazy" reaction towards the closing stages of the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Thursday night.

The Belgian was yellow-carded for a foul on Sergio Aguero with seven minutes remaining at the Etihad Stadium and just seconds later brought the Argentine down again before headbutting him when the pair squared up.

Fellaini was subsequently shown a straight red card by referee Martin Atkinson, but United managed to hold out for a draw that keeps them just a point behind the Champions League places.

"It was a bit crazy at the end, that reaction from Fellaini. Both fouls were very clear, then the head into Aguero two minutes after fouling Sergio. It was all in one minute...in a game like this it's a bit strange," Zabaleta told PA.

"We knew United defensively are a really good team, but we dominated possession and we were the only team who played to win the game. They were probably missing [Paul] Pogba, who is a big player for them to play a little bit better football.

"United always play with a strong midfield but they were a bit more physical with Fellaini, [Michael] Carrick and [Ander] Herrera. We have to be happy, we did everything we could to win the game."

City will take on relegation-threatened Middlesbrough on Sunday knowing that they could start the match outside the top four should United beat Swansea City in the earlier kickoff.