The United boss was aware that the side had dropped points on their travels with disappointiung second half performance's in several away matches this season and that it was important that they secured maximum points from the local derby to keep pressure on Chelsea and Liverpool at the top of the table.
"Today the focus was good," he said after the 1-0 win at Eastlands.
"We threw the game away at Liverpool and threw three points away at Everton.
"Last week our game dropped against Aston Villa and I think that was down to focus but our focus was great today.
"We needed three points today. We're behind Liverpool and Chelsea. We're chasing them and we needed to beat City to get ourselves near them.
"We've had a significant result today and I hope it makes a difference."