Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on his players to focus on their upcoming Manchester derby against Manchester United on Thursday.

The Citizens dominated the Gunners in their semi-final clash, but were undone by strikes by Nacho Monreal and Alexis Sanchez, despite Sergio Aguero’s 62nd minute opener.

Guardiola’s side head into the match in fourth place in the Premier League standings with 64 points, having won 19 of their 32 matches played so far during the 2016-17 season.

The 46-year-old insists that his side shouldn’t dwell on their FA Cup semi-final exit, and now start focusing on their crucial game against United, as both sides are battling for a top four spot on the Premier League table.

‘We have three or four days to recover [before the game with United]. Today we are sad, but as soon as possible we will stand up,’ Guardiola told the Manchester United website.

‘We tried to change many things. Some days we did it, but results show who you are, they could be better, could be worse. In games like this, a semi-final is like a final, you cannot expect control every situation, but we control most of the time.

‘They play long balls to [Olivier] Giroud and they counter-attack and with set pieces they are a tall team. They beat us because of this.’

Manchester City will now go head-to-head with rivals Manchester United when the two sides meet in the Premier League on Thursday.

The match at the Etihad Stadium with kick-off at 21:00.