Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has congratulated Manchester City on their impending Premier League title success, which he says will be fully deserved.
The Citizens missed out on the chance to wrap up the top-flight crown in a record time at the weekend, as they let a two-goal lead slip to lose 3-2 against arch-rivals United.
Mata admits that he is still on a high after coming away from the Etihad Stadium with a memorable victory, but concedes that it is merely delaying the inevitable as City still have a 13-point lead at the summit.
"It's fair to say that Manchester City will be the deserving winners of the Premier League; the amount of points they have won week after week just made things impossible for the rest of the teams," he posted on his official website.
"But this win takes us closer to the second spot, which is our goal right now, and gives us lots of energy for the last month of the competition. If we have a look at the calendar we can see that there are only five weeks remaining, and then the FA Cup final that we dream to play.
"Today I'm writing to you at the end of a Sunday in which, to tell you the truth, the impact of the Manchester derby has not faded out yet. The people you meet are talking about the game (especially if they are United supporters, of course), and almost every conversation is about last Saturday's comeback. A derby is a derby. It may sound as a cliche, but it's a special game.
"So when you get an away win after being 2-0 down against your rival, who is waiting for the final whistle to celebrate the Premier League title, you can expect people to talk about that for days. It happens in Manchester and in every other city where the fans are so passionate about football."
City could win the title next weekend if they beat Tottenham Hotspur and United fail to beat West Bromwich Albion the following day.
Daniel Lewis
