The Swiss striker scored his first goal against the Reds to put City ahead and was inches away from adding a second that would have sealed all three points after Simon Davies’ side squandered the lead on the stroke of half-time.
It was a goal very much against the run of play but it meant United avoided relegation from the Premier League 2 Division 1, a scenario which Gonzalez admits added to City’s pre-match motivation and post-match frustration.
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“Of course, it is an extra motivation because we are City and they are our big rivals and we want to beat them,” he said afterwards.
“We didn’t have that chance. They played well in the second half.
“I think we could have scored two or three more goals.
“It’s a bit frustrating because their goal was in the last second of the first half. They didn’t deserve to score, they didn’t have any chances in the first half.
“And it’s a shame that we conceded from a set-piece. In the last three game we have conceded set pieces, so it’s something we need to work on.”
On a personal level though, there was reason for the 17-year-old forward to smile as he notched his fifth goal of the season after crashing home Luke Bolton’s cross.
And he could hardly hide his delight at netting against our cross-city rivals for the first time.
“It was an amazing feeling,” he added.
“Scoring in the derby is something special. It’s a moment I will never forget in my life and I hope I have a lot of moments like that in the future.
“Luke works really hard and helps the team. His style of play fits other players because he crosses the ball and for a striker that is perfect because you know if you are there, you will get the ball.
“It was really important to give a good performance, personally and the team as well, to go strong against Barcelona and to give us a chance in the UEFA Youth League.”
