Ferguson's United remain unbeaten in the Premier League after the stalemate but Ferguson believes they had enough of the ball to conquer a City side he felt did not have as many attacking ambitions as his own. "City are very difficult to beat on their own ground and obviously they set their stall out," he told Sky Sports 1. "I think there was too much tension for it to be the kind of match people thought it would be. They set their stall out in the second half and made it very difficult for us. "It's a decent result but we don't count draws away from home as the target before the game. Our target is to win the game and I think we had enough possession to do that. "Some of our football was good, we were good on the ball but we needed to create openings to win the match and we only really made two which was difficult." City manager Robert Mancini was satisfied with the goalless draw. After losing twice to their close rivals in the league last season - not to mention the Carling Cup - the Italian felt his team had taken a step forward. Asked whether City were getting closer to United, Mancini said: "I think so. We just need more time. We are improving. I prefer one point to zero points, which was the case last season. "When you play in a derby it is a difficult game. We did not have many chances to score but it was a good point. "We tried to win but they defended very well. We play to win but when you do not have many chances it is difficult." Former United striker Carlos Tevez came close to making the breakthrough with a superb free-kick in the first half after shrugging off a thigh injury. Tevez's effort cleared the wall but Edwin van der Sar pushed the ball to safety. Mancini praised the Argentina striker, who had little support, after he returned on Sunday from a break to help the team beat West Brom. "Carlos is an important player for us," Mancini said. "He played well against a strong defence. He ran well although he may have been a little tired like some of the other players. "When you play every three days it is not easy, especially when you have to play a derby game." Mancini was pleased with the clean sheet and the work of his players in the middle of the park. He added: "I thought Nigel de Jong played well, as did Gareth Barry. It was good we did not concede any goals in stoppage time like we did last season." However, Mancini is unhappy Mario Balotelli must serve a three-match ban for violent conduct after he was sent off at The Hawthorns. Mancini added: "We missed Mario and it was not the correct decision if you watch some other games. I do not agree with it."
