Manchester United hero Gary Pallister says they can take positives from defeat at Manchester City.
He described Chris Smalling's sending off for a second yellow after a late tackle on James Milner as 'inevitable'.
"I thought they gave a good account of themselves and showed a lot of spirit," said Pallister.
"I thought 11 against 11 United possibly shaded it but the sending off changed the whole dynamic of the game. The whole game changed."
On Smalling, Pallister told the Manchester Evening News: "I'm sure he was kicking himself in the dressing room afterwards. The first booking was a silly one and for the second one the ball was there - we've all been there.
"You think you can win it and you're slightly late and the guy knocks it away. It probably looked worse than it was.
"He gave the referee no option. He knew. You could see it in the look on his face he knew the red card was coming. It was the right decision.
"That changed the whole game and I think United showed a great deal of spirit after that."
