Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed his counterpart Pep Guardiola after Wednesday's derby defeat, saying his progress at Manchester City has been "remarkable."
City made relatively easy work of United at Old Trafford, winning 2-0 on the strength of second-half goals from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane.
The victory put City back into first place and meant Guardiola's side can guarantee they will retain their Premier League title with wins in their final three games.
Guardiola is also now the first manager to win three consecutive away Premier League matches at Old Trafford against United.
After the game, Solskjaer was full of praise for his counterpart, who led City to the title last season with a record-setting haul of 100 points.
"They are the best team in the country, they have set the standard in the last two seasons and I don’t know how many points they’ve taken," the Norwegian told BBC Sport.
"What Pep Guardiola has done with his players is remarkable and we are so close to it in the vicinity, so we feel it every day."
The Man Utd manager was disappointed with the result on
"The first half was decent, we held our own and created chances with some efforts," Solskjaer said.
"Going into half-time we know there was a lot of work to be done, but they won deservedly because they had too much for us.
"Of course we are disappointed but you can look at yourself and say we gave everything, but we need to do that tomorrow and the next day.
"It’s about doing everything you can to close [the gap]."
Solskjaer insisted that the only way that gap could be closed is through a rebuild that will take some time.
"Next year when we get a pre-season behind us, that will help us to know that your shape is the same every game," Solskjaer said.
"If you look at Manchester City and Liverpool the relationship of the players have been built over years and that's the signs of a good team."
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