Pep Guardiola praises three Man United stars after Community Shield defeat

Pep Guardiola praised three different Manchester United stars after they lost against Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Erik ten Hag opted to start Bruno Fernandes as the striker when United faced City in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.

It was their final match before the Premier League season kicks off next Friday, with the Reds hosting Fulham at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho scored a late opener, cutting inside on his weaker left foot and slipping the ball past Ederson to give United the advantage.

However, Bernardo Silva equalized with a header just two minutes from the end after Faundo Pellistri switched off at the back post.

The 1-1 draw after full time led to a penalty shootout, where City triumphed 7-6. Jonny Evans missed his penalty, and Ederson made a decisive save to stop Jadon Sancho.

There were positives to take from the game for Ten Hag’s side, and Guardiola named three players in particular who caused his side problems.

“Both teams, both players… the ball was like a balloon. We lost a lot of balls, and in transition, they are one of the best teams in the world,” Guardiola told ITV Sport.

“With Rashford, with Garnacho at the end, with the connection with especially Bruno [Fernandes].

“They are so dangerous to control, but in the end, we had a good action to equalise, and in the penalties, we did it.”

Garnacho’s impact from the bench was exactly what United needed, although Amad Diallo was the standout player before he was introduced in the second half.

Amad has seemingly cemented his position in the team for the game against Fulham on Friday.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.