Four goals from Carlos Borges alongside strikes from Dire Mebude and Will Dickson saw City leapfrog Arsenal in the league standings to take top spot.
Rhys Bennett’s early header gave the Red Devils the lead after five minutes, with Borges hitting back midway through the half to send both teams in level at the break.
City netted five goals in 45 second-half minutes in front of a hostile crowd at Leigh Sports Village and Barry-Murphy admits that his side got the win because of their commitment and aggressive nature.
He said: “I thought it was a high-intensity game, it was a good test and for a lot of the game I thought it was quite even.
“We had to show a real resolution and commitment to defend the goal and to be really aggressive out of possession.
“After we showed that commitment in the second half we got our rewards, which is very good for us because it shows the players what can be achieved if they work hard for each other.
“I think it is very good for the players to experience a derby game and the unique nature of it, being in a stadium with fans in is very good for the lads.”
Borges has now scored three hat-tricks in the 2021/22 season with the youngster netting trebles against Sevilla, Derby County and now Manchester United.
And the boss was full of praise for the winger stating that his all-round performance in Saturday’s win was a huge step in his development.
“For me the performances where you work so hard for the teams and you get your rewards doesn’t always happen, getting those goals and his defensive display was exceptional,” added Barry-Murphy.
“That is a big area of improvement for him, his attacking qualities are obvious and there for all to see and he was pretty clinical with the way he finished those chances.
“He is an exceptional lad and a great guy, so it is very important that we can push him in those areas where he needs to improve and that is the main part of his development really.”
