Mancini insists his side did not play for a point in the Manchester derby.
The game at Eastlands ended in a goalless draw.
“When you play against United you can easily lose because if you give them a chance to score, they will score,” Mancini told Sky Sports.
“I wanted to win this game, but sometimes it is better to draw than to lose like last year. We played to win this game.”
“I think it was a difficult game for both teams. I think the result is correct,” he added.
“But we have improved from last year, when we conceded a goal in the last minute.”
