City’s manager has already consigned the 6-1 victory to the archives as he chases the title - and he insists that the landslide result will not be important in the long run.
He said: “For me it is better to win six derbies 1-0 and not one derby 6-1. If you want to be a top team for the next 20 years, you can’t be satisfied with beating United 6-1, it’s not important.
“United are still one yard ahead of us. Before the derby, it was two yards. We want to change this but we need time.
“Maybe because we beat United we are favourites. It’s a good feeling but the game is past, it’s history. Now we must focus on Wolves.
“There are four or five teams who can win the title. At the moment we are top of the table, but that can change with every game, and the season is long.
“Who can win it? United, Chelsea, Liverpool for me, Tottenham ... maybe Arsenal. Newcastle are a very good team but I don’t think they can win the title.
After the next international break we play every three days for six months, so it will be very difficult
City are unbeaten in the League but Mancini added: “I remember the Arsenal team that went unbeaten were very strong, an incredible team. I don’t think we can do that this year.
“Last year we lost at Wolves and here we won 4-3 but they had chances for 4-4 before the end. If we think we can play 50 per cent, not like against United, then we have a problem.
“Mick McCarthy knows this league very well, and if you don’t play very strongly against every team you take a risk. It’s important to focus. We can lose any game if we don’t play 100 per cent.
“But from a year ago we have changed our mentality, home or away it’s the same, and that’s important to be a top team. The pitch is the same.”
