Manchester United’s Portuguese defender Diogo Dalot stood on the edge of the pitch at the end of Sunday's Manchester derby victory at the Etihad Stadium with his arms aloft in celebration in front of the visiting fans.
It was his second victory in six career appearances against City, and he made sure to enjoy it. After the game he spoke to journalists in the mixed zone and talked about United's progress under new manager Ruben Amorim and the impact of match winner Amad Diallo.
How did you feel at the end?
The last couple of years we had some crazy games like this, fighting until the end and I think that’s the DNA of this club. Today we showed character and even when we were losing the game, I think our emotions were kept in control, which I think is progress from the last couple of years. I think when we were trailing we could have lost our heads a little bit and stopped being controlled emotionally. We showed a lot of character and I really like the way we reacted, even after the first goal. You could feel the energy coming inside between us and it was good. And credit to the players who came on because I think they gave us the energy. So, happy with the afternoon.
What was said at half time?
It was one or two things. Without the ball, until the goal, we pressed them really well, controlling the game with and without the ball, and after we conceded we stopped a little bit. Especially without the ball, we stopped pressing and we let [Kevin] De Bruyne go a little bit between the lines more times and they kept pushing us back. I think we adjusted really well in the second half – what we wanted to do in the beginning – and kept them a little bit without options, so I think it was really good for us, the reaction and like I said, keep believing that we could score at any moment, keeping on the front foot and I’m glad Amad read the play really well.
What did you make of Amad’s performance today?
It’s what we want from him. When you’re in such good form, that’s the most important thing – you keep performing. It’s the hardest thing at a club like this being consistent in your performances, so we’re going to help him and we want him to stay at this level. We know he can be a really good player for us but it’s up to him to be in the right place, keep really humble and I think he has that ability.
How good can Amad be?
I think he can be a really good player. I’m not really focussing on whether he’s going to be the guy who is going to give us 50 goals a season but if he does, we’re going to be happy. But he knows that for him to do that, he will need the help of his teammates and that’s the thing that he must focus on and I think he’s doing really well.
What does the win mean?
For me, it’s special. I’ve played here a couple of times since I arrived. It was probably the first time that emotionally, like I said, we were in control. Even the game, we felt we could win the game at any moment. It was the first time, for me personally, that I felt capable of doing that, so that shows some progress. I don’t want to give the cliche conversation all the time that we need time ... believe me, I’m here for almost seven years, I’m with the fans on that. We need to win tomorrow and yesterday. But the reality is this is step by step. With the new manager, we are doing progress and if you want to analyse like you should analyse, we are taking very good steps towards where we want to go, but it will take time.
It’s a derby and we always want to win, but it’s three points and no more than that. We still must climb the table and it’s games like this that we need to keep winning. It doesn’t matter if you win today and you don’t win the next game. Football is cruel like that but we need to keep going.
Where is this resilience coming from?
I think it’s clear it’s coming from him [Amorim]. The message was clear from the beginning: if you want to succeed and if you want to thrive, you must suffer. That’s not just in football but in life. If you want to have success, you must work hard and suffer. I think the message is clear. If you want to succeed at this club, you have to suffer and if you’re ready to do that with us, we’re going to be a good team. If you’re not, there’s no space for you.
