Man Utd boss Ralf Rangnick responds to Roy Keane and Gary Neville fury after Man City loss

Man City v Man UTD: Pictures

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Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick shut down suggestions from the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane that his side did not show enough effort in the second half of their 4-1 hammering at the hands of rivals Manchester City on Sunday. United crashed to a miserable derby defeat at the Etihad which leaves them one point adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal having played one game more.

Kevin De Bruyne scored a first-half brace either side of Jadon Sancho’s curled finish while Riyad Mahrez managed a double of his own in the second half.

City were in cruise control after the interval and were particularly dominant after Mahrez gave the hosts a two-goal advantage on 69 minutes, Pep Guardiola’s side enjoying almost all of the ball from there on out.

For just the second time in the last decade, United had no shots at all in the second 45 minutes and managed a mere 21 per cent possession.

United legend Neville, commentating on the match for Sky Sports, felt the Red Devils did not try enough at 3-1 down and said: “Manchester United finished like an absolute shower. They were a disgrace in the last 25 minutes.

“It’s the first time Ralf Rangnick has taken them against a proper team and they have been given a proper doing. There can be no complaints. City have been absolutely outstanding.

“But as a Manchester United fan, it’s embarrassing.”

Neville’s former team-mate Keane similarly raged: “I think the worst thing you can say about United, Gary mentioned it, is they gave up. For a player in a derby, in any game, to give up is unforgivable.

“The way United lost the game today they stopped running, they gave up, players not running back. It’s really unacceptable, it really is.

“They threw the towel in, which is shameful. I was getting really frustrated watching it. I can forgive mistakes but you’ve got to run back.

“There were players, five or six players, and I was thinking they should never play for Man United again.”

But Rangnick sought to shut down suggestions his players did not try hard enough. The German said: “In the second half it was difficult for us to keep them away from our own goal.

“It was frustrating to keep chasing them. I didn’t have the impression they didn’t try.”

He added to Sky Sports: “I think we played a good, if not decent, first half. We were competitive. Difficult to concede an early goal.

“We came back, scored a brilliant goal ourselves then conceded another on the counter. It was a very difficult game against one of the best teams in the world.

“We conceded a fourth in the last minute of the game. It is a difficult game that shows we have a long way to go to close that gap.

“It was working. For us it was clear if we want a chance to win the game we have to do a lot of running.

“You have to be in attacking and hunting mode and we did that in the first half. The third goal killed us off in the end.

“It’s difficult, if we attack them very high there is a lot of negative running you need to do. The third goal is a brilliantly taken corner and it is almost impossible to defend that.

“The second half they were the better team and they showed the quality they have. We struggled especially after they scored the third one.”

“In the second half it did [show there is a gap between the two teams] but the first half was a competitive game. Everyone knows how good they are.

“They are one of the top teams in the world and there is a gap between the two teams.

“We are fully aware we need to win games. This is one of the most difficult. It is accepting they were the better team today.

“But we look ahead to the next games and we need to win the next two home games – they are essential to us.”

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