There are victories that simply add three points to the table, and there are victories that reveal the character of a team. Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford belongs firmly in the second category.

To travel to the home of your biggest rivals, lose a player to a red card inside the opening 25 minutes and still walk away with victory requires far more than tactical quality. It demands discipline, composure, organisation and, above all, belief.

That was exactly what City demonstrated on Sunday.

A victory built on character

City’s new manager Enzo Maresca could hardly have asked for a better indication of what his squad is capable of when faced with adversity.

The early dismissal of Phil Foden could easily have changed the entire complexion of the Manchester derby. With the game still in its infancy, City suddenly found themselves playing with 10 men in an atmosphere that was already charged with expectation.

Instead of collapsing, they adapted.

The players remained organised, communicated with one another and showed the kind of maturity required to protect a narrow advantage away from home.

For Maresca, that may have been even more valuable than the three points.

A manager can spend hours working on formations, pressing structures and set-piece routines, but there are moments during a season when tactics alone cannot rescue a team. Those moments require players who can think clearly under pressure.

City had those players at Old Trafford.

Learning to win without the ball

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the victory was City’s willingness to abandon something they normally regard as central to their identity: possession.

City are accustomed to controlling matches by keeping the ball, dictating the tempo and forcing opponents to defend for long periods.

Against United, circumstances demanded something completely different.

With 10 men, City had to defend for their lives at times and accept that United would have more of the ball. Rather than becoming frustrated or attempting to force their usual style onto the game, they accepted the situation.

That flexibility could prove hugely important this season.

The best teams are not necessarily those that play one way. They are the teams capable of finding another way when their preferred approach is taken away from them.

City showed they have that capacity.

Leadership when it mattered most

The response also highlighted the importance of leadership within the City dressing room.

When a team loses a player so early in a derby, communication becomes crucial. Every player has to understand his defensive responsibility, know when to press and when to drop, and remain disciplined enough not to leave spaces for the opposition to exploit.

There was little evidence of panic from City.

Players constantly encouraged one another and maintained their shape, while senior figures took responsibility during difficult moments.

That level of collective intelligence is difficult to coach in a short period. It comes from experience, trust and a dressing room that believes in its ability to overcome problems.

Maresca deserves credit for putting his team in a position to succeed, but the players ultimately had to execute the plan.

And they did.

A statement for Maresca

For Maresca, the derby victory was more than an impressive result.

It was an early statement about his team’s mentality.

Taking over a club with City’s expectations means every performance is analysed, particularly in a derby against United. But winning this way sends a powerful message: this is not a team that will fall apart when circumstances turn against it.

The manager’s tactical decisions were important, but perhaps the biggest discovery was the resilience of the squad itself.

Maresca can now look at his players knowing they have already passed one of the toughest tests imaginable.

City should not be underestimated

There had been questions about City’s competitiveness this season and whether they could maintain their position among the Premier League’s strongest sides.

The performance at Old Trafford provided a compelling answer.

If anything, the difficult circumstances made the victory more impressive.

Beating United with 11 players would have been significant. Doing it with 10 for the majority of the match demonstrated something deeper.

It showed that City possess the mentality required to survive difficult moments, the discipline to stick to a plan and the intelligence to adapt when football does not go according to schedule.

That could become one of their greatest strengths as the season develops.

The Premier League is rarely won simply by playing your best football every week. There will be injuries, suspensions, poor performances, controversial decisions and matches when everything appears to be going against you.

Champions find ways to win those games.

And if Manchester City’s derby performance is anything to go by, Maresca has inherited a group that knows exactly how to do that.

One red card. Ten men. Old Trafford. One goal. One victory.

If anyone still doubts City’s competitiveness this season, the Manchester derby offered a timely reminder: this is a team that knows how to fight.