Ilkay Gundogan believes Manchester City could have been even better in their first-half demolition of Manchester United.

Pep Guardiola’s tactics, playing Bernardo Silva as a false nine, completely confused their hosts and as a result they were 3-0 up in a dominant opening 45 minutes.

While United pulled one back after the break City were lauded for their performance, but Gundogan said although they were good they could have been better.

‘Especially in the first half, it was a special performance,’ he said.

‘We created so much and could have scored even more, but going in at half time leading by three gave us a very good feeling.

‘I felt on the pitch we could have done even better. Converting our chances better, maybe put a little bit more on top of that, but it was great.

‘I don’t want to complain about our first-half performance, it was a joy to watch.

‘That was important for the first leg, because it feels great to go home for the second leg with this result.

‘It’s a great score for us, but it’s Man United, so it’s not done yet. If we play similar, then I don’t think they will have any chance.’

United won in the league at the Etihad a month ago and that provided part of their motivation for the approach at Old Trafford.

‘Obviously we were hurting – you can lose against this United side,’ added Gundogan.

‘They are still a great club, great team with great players, and have the quality to beat everyone.

‘We lost that game, and our aim was to not lose twice in a row against them, and the reaction was great.

‘We saw a few videos from the league game, and said to ourselves we want to do better. But I always starts from zero – a new game, a new challenge.’