LONDON • Over to you, Liverpool. In a title race where there is so little margin for error, a fifth straight Premier League victory for Manchester City, courtesy of Riyad Mahrez's second-half goal, means the champions put the onus back on the Reds ahead of the Merseyside derby.
It may have been a scrappy winner that settled this contest, but the gulf in class was huge.
To put Saturday's game into perspective, Bournemouth failed to register an attempt on goal of any description and never even managed to win a corner.
Eddie Howe's team had only 18 per cent of the possession and Guardiola's side were in so much control that it is seemed as though they had an extra man on the pitch for much of the match.
Hailing his "incredible" players, the Spaniard said: "One of the best performances we've ever played.
"We didn't concede one shot on target. Every time we lost the ball, we had three or four guys going to recover it. Bournemouth are incredibly well-organised, with 11 players in the box, so there's really no spaces, but we found them.
"I don't know what's going to happen at the end of the season, but these players deserve all my admiration and respect. Today was a special moment for all of us."
The only sour note for City was the sight of Kevin de Bruyne pulling up with a hamstring injury towards the end of the first half.
Telling BBC Sport the Belgian would be "out for a while", Guardiola felt that the injuries - Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte are already out for the next few weeks - could be down to the intensity he required his players to play with, but confirmed the withdrawal of John Stones was merely a precaution.
He said: "We demand a lot of the players without giving them the time to rest physiologically, that is why it is incredible. It's normal, we've played 25 games in 93 days."
The 48-year-old, however, insisted that the absences would give his squad players like Mahrez, who scored his first league goal in almost three months, the opportunity to stake their claim for a starting place.
Guardiola added: "His time is going to come because there are a lot of games. I don't have any doubts about his quality. He has to understand where he is, he is at a team who got 100 points and in every single game, fight, and run and play.
"The people in front (of him) are Leroy (Sane), who last season was one of the most important players we had, Bernardo (Silva), who is the best player in the league, and Raheem (Sterling)."
At Old Trafford, Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl both hailed the qualities of often-criticised Romelu Lukaku, whose brace enabled the home side to emerge with a 3-2 win.
Calling the Belgium striker, who ended his nine-match barren run in the previous league game against Crystal Palace, a "quality goalscorer", the Norwegian said: "We need to have him more in front of goal, but he has done fantastic in his work rate, attitude, he loves scoring goals, he smiles every day."
His opposite number agreed, bemoaning that the Saints were only "defeated by a fantastic Romelu Lukaku".
REUTERS, THE GUARDIAN
Liverpool powered back to the top of the Premier League as Xherdan Shaqiri inspired a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United, while Arsenal's 22-match unbeaten run was shattered by a shock
Liverpool back on top as Shaqiri sinks United, Arsenal's
dailysportsnews1.com/liverpool-back-on-top-as-shaqiri-sinks-united-arsenals-unbeaten-run-ends/
Liverpool powered back to the top of the Premier League as Xherdan Shaqiri inspired a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United, while Arsenal's 22-match unbeaten run was shattered by a shock defeat at Southampton on Sunday.
Liverpool back on top as Shaqiri sinks United, Arsenal's
Gymkhana bemoan 'unfair' treatment, Football News & Top
Jul 11, 2018 · These have been strange weeks in England, weeks when it has been easy to fall in love in a nobody to blame, no need for a scapegoat or an effigy. getting onto the feet or heads of Croatian
Valley News - Forum, May 24: ISO New England's Study Was Flawed
Many now consider the title race to have been blown wide open, but Carragher feels those on Merseyside still hold the upper hand over rivals from Manchester and has urged them to realign their
How 9 Premier League teams can qualify into the Champions
Objectives Raheem Sterling has scored in his final three video games for England. He had not managed a single aim in his earlier 27 appearances. "Raheem was brilliant, electric all night," Southgate mentioned. "He is in a very assured second, not solely on the sphere however off the sphere he is so mature and cozy in himself.
'Electric' Sterling has boss purring - theworldnews.net
Get more information about MAURIZIO SARRI at straitstimes.com. Blues manager Maurizio Sarri hails Higuain-Hazard partnership. Feb 4, 2019, 5:00 am Stop Jorginho and you can stop the Blues
Sarri explains the Higuain-Hazard connection at Chelsea
The Reds projected lineup for 2019. (Yahoo Sports) Who will be the Reds' fantasy breakout? Cincinnati's outfield is awfully cluttered following the team's offseason deal with the Dodgers, a
Cincinnati Reds to add minor-league team in Appalachian League
Gambling stakes -- Find potential answers to this crossword clue at crosswordnexus.com
high-stakes (adjective) definition and synonyms | Macmillan
TEMPO.CO, Liverpool - Liverpool crushed Arsenal 5-1 to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday but manager Juergen Klopp still would not get involved in any talk of winning the title. Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur's surprise defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool's Klopp avoids title talk despite Arsenal rout
MADRID (Reuters) - Holders Real Madrid were sensationally knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday after being thrashed 4-1 at home by an outstanding Ajax Amsterdam who overturned a first
Real Madrid knocked out of Champions League by brilliant Ajax
Mourinho demanded the full payout, with more than £40m due on the new four-year contract that had been announced, deliberately, one day before the start of their Premier League defence against
Manchester United sack Mourinho - espn.com
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that his side got away with a sloppy display during their 2-1 win over Watford on Sunday, believing that they have put themselves "almost in the driving seat" to finish in the top four. Goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rates Anthony Martial's chances of
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar