Rio Ferdinand has highlighted just how wide the gulf between Manchester United and Manchester City is after the latter inflicted further misery on their rivals.
A closely contested first-half on Sunday soon saw Pep Guardiola's side take full control as they dismantled the visitors. United looked in disarray defensively as their problems continue to mount.
The Blues' win last weekend extended the gap between themselves and United in the Premier League to 22 points. Ferdinand has claimed City's display illustrated just how far ahead Guardiola's side are of his former employers, listing four things that he believes set the two sides apart.
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Ferdinand told BT Sports: "It was dominant [in the Manchester derby]. You’ve seen the comments, reaction from the fanbase, it just highlighted the gulf at the minute, the cohesiveness, the togetherness, the style of football, the philosophy. All of the elements of a good team environment that City have created. Manchester United are playing catch-up from a long way back."
Former Blues defender Joleon Lescott added when asked of City's Champions League chances this season: "I think you’d like to say the experience of getting to the final last year [is the potential aspect of improvement], only time will tell. If they can get over the final hurdle, this game [the Manchester derby] shows, they were close for half an hour or 40 minutes, but the way they adapted, the way Pep adapted.
"City have players who can produce moments of brilliance but the second-half performance was reminiscent of the 6-1 performance."
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