Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola hailed five Manchester United players, Nemanja Matic, Fred, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw for their impressive displays against his side following the Citizens’ 1-0 defeat against the Red Devils in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg encounter on Wednesday night.

Nemanja Matic scored the only goal of the match as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men defeated Guardiola’s side at Etihad.

Man City, however, progressed to the final, with a 3-2 aggregate where they will take on Aston Villa on March.

“I like a lot the way they played,” Guardiola was quoted by Metro UK as saying after the game.

“At Old Trafford we played really well, maybe I didn’t expect us to play the way we played, but I said when we lost here I said they don’t need much.

“The quality of the players up front is incredible. I had the feeling, I said before when we lost at home against them, they are trying to do what the manager Ole wants, and I think it works.

“Maybe they are not consistent in all the games, they struggle at home a little bit with the teams who defend deep.

“Lindelof I saw him in Benfica, Luke Shaw is an incredible type of player, Maguire, one of the best central defenders in the world.

“The people up front they are so fast. Matic and Fred, they are incredible players, Matic is an outstanding player. In time, they will do it and be back to what United was for many years.”