Vincent Kompany said Manchester City "never felt like the game was difficult" as they were held to a 0-0 draw by 10-man United on Thursday.
Defences were well on top at the Etihad Stadium as both side's failed land a blow on the other's Champions League hopes.
United had just one shot on target and 31 per cent of possession in a backs-to-the-wall job.
City have failed to beat Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks but Kompany did not believe that Thursday's frustrating stalemate mirrored those heavyweight clashes.
He told Sky Sports: "I can't remember a season in which we have dominated the big teams so much and got such little results out of it.
"Today was the same as what happened against Arsenal and Chelsea.
"I think the difference is that we got out a point which is not so bad, but it never felt like the game was difficult or they were a threat, but we couldn't finish them off."
Kompany and defensive partner Nicolas Otamendi managed to keep United's forward line of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan quiet and the City captain believed greater know-how was the key factor.
He added: "They are lightning quick and with a bit more experience I think they're going to cause a lot more trouble, but today was more about playing against fast strikers and knowing what to do.
"Rashford and Martial have so much pace and have bright futures ahead of them.
"We covered the space well, we pressed really high and knew who to keep off the ball. We created chances and had shots on goal, but it doesn't seem to fall the right side of the line."
