Manchester derby: Pep Guardiola claims Claudio Bravo’s shocker was ‘one of the best performances I’ve ever seen’ after clinching 2-1 triumph
Keeper Bravo, 33, dropped a cross for Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goal before getting himself into trouble with his feet several times
PEP GUARDIOLA hailed Claudio Bravo's Manchester derby shocker as "one of the best performances I’ve ever seen."
And the incredible analysis of the Chilean keeper's howler must have surely left exiled Joe Hart unsure of whether to laugh or cry.
Bravo dropped a clanger just before half-time of City's 2-1 win at Old Trafford after colliding with team-mate John Stones.
And it allowed United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to steer in and give United hope.
The second half saw Bravo reduced to a wreck as he almost got caught out with the ball at his feet on several occasions - trying to do exactly what City boss Guardiola brought him in do do because he felt Hart couldn't.
And he could have been sent off for lunging at Rooney in an attempt to atone for a heavy touch.
But Guardiola defended his £17million signing for showing character in attempting to keep plugging away in playing out from the back.
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The Spaniard said: “What Claudio did today was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.
“We had the situation for the goal, I like the keepers to play in front and he’s a good goalkeeper.
“But after long balls he came to pick them up.
“So that means a lot to me – the personality because at the end football is how you react to mistakes.
“It was unlucky the situation because Stones was there and that sometimes happens.
“It was more brilliant the reaction from Ibrahimovic than the situation from Claudio.
“When you play good in the first half it’s for that reason. You build up and after we cannot fight too many duels. It’s for the right to travel with the ball and we did that in the first half."
Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho had put City two goals clear before Bravo's blunder.
And Guardiola was delighted with the way his side came up trumps.
He added: "The put Paul Pogba and [Marouane] Fellaini more in front and they are much more dangerous with long balls and stronger than us and it’s impossible to control it.
"The second half it was an open game and there were many chances for us on the counterattack and we created a few things through Kevin and that was a little bit of a problem.
"There central defenders Kolarov and Otamendi especially were outstanding. With John Stones we had control and we won the game.
“We played quickly and we created enough chances. When you have the chance to counterattack and score goals against Man United you try and do that.
“You don’t want to leave it until the last minute. But you cannot come here an dominate at Old Trafford for 90 minutes."