Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes the team's midfielders deserve credit after their 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday.

The Red Devils pulled off a surprise away win at the Etihad, defeating City through a Bruno Fernandes penalty and Luke Shaw goal.

Scholes reserved praise for Fred and Scott McTominay after the win, which kept United in second place in the league table.

"A big thing was getting the midfield right against Manchester City," Scholes told Premier League Productions .

"I think they did that, Fred and McTominay had a big job, but you could see how tight and compact they were, there was no space for City in there.

"Fred and McTominay won the ball and managed to break as well. It worked perfectly.

"City's best players are obviously De Bruyne and Gundogan, so if you stop them you go a long way to stopping City. You have to say they didn't really have an influence on the game.

"They knew they had to keep compact, keep the middle area tight and the plan worked perfectly."