Tielemans criticises Manchester United's performance: we were complacent in the derby

Disappointment grips the Belgian star

Manchester United midfielder Youri Tielemans of Belgium has admitted that his side's performance in the derby they lost to City was "sloppy" and not good enough.

Refereeing decisions dominated the headlines after Manchester City's 1-0 win at Old Trafford yesterday, Sunday, in the fourth round of the Premier League.

Phil Foden's sending-off in the 23rd minute sparked widespread controversy. Erling Haaland's winner proved just as contentious. Enzo Fernandez was clearly offside in the build-up, yet the officials awarded the goal, only to acknowledge later that they had erred and should have ruled it out.

United feel deeply aggrieved by the decision, but Tielemans acknowledged that his side did not do enough during their long spell with a numerical advantage.

The Belgian star told NBC Sports: "First and foremost, we should not have conceded the goal, but if it had not been given, it would have been a different game."

He added: "I don't think we created enough chances to win the game anyway. I think we were a bit slack in dealing with the ball, and perhaps we didn't make the right decisions with the final ball."

Speaking to English newspaper "Metro", he continued: "It's disappointing, everyone feels disappointed and frustrated because we know we can play a lot better."

He went on: "We want to do things well, but today it didn't happen the way we wanted."

Wrapping up, he said: "We didn't exploit the spaces in the best way, we made mistakes in our passing, and perhaps we were a little too hasty. We didn't play the right final pass in the final third of the pitch to create enough chances to score."