Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that the 1-1 draw at home against Liverpool on Sunday has provided him with one of the proudest moments of his managerial career so far.
Manchester City hosted Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in what was a clash between two sides who are desperate to grab a place in the top four this season after failing to keep up with Chelsea in the title race.
After an edgy first half, the home side got off to a poor start in the second half when Gael Clichy brought down Roberto Firmino inside the box with a poor challenge. Former Manchester City midfielder James Milner stepped up to convert from the spot to give Liverpool the lead in the 51st minute. However, City managed to rescue a point from the game as Sergio Aguero scored in the 69th minute of the game after Kevin De Bruyne picked him out with an enticing cross.
The draw means Manchester City remain at the third spot with 57 points – two behind Tottenham Hotspur at the second spot. Liverpool, meanwhile, face the prospect of dropping down the table with both Manchester United and Arsenal having a couple of matches in their hands.
In the post-match press conference, Pep Guardiola praised his team’s ability to bounce back from the disappointment they faced in the Champions League at the hands of Monaco, and he labeled this comeback draw against Liverpool as one of the proudest moments of his career so far.
“You cannot imagine. This is one of the proudest days of my career as a manager.
“After our defeat in the Champions League, for two days we were so, so sad and in the training sessions, we didn’t talk too much.
“We arrive here against Liverpool, who haven’t had European football all year and had all week to prepare for that game, and how we fight and how we run and how we showed spirit – today is one of the happiest days of my life as a manager.
“The way we play, we concede chances but we create a lot of chances. Like all matches, we create more chances but this is our problem, our problem is we don’t score goals,” Pep Guardiola said after the game, reported Skysports.
The former Barcelona manager has had a rough debut season in the Premier League with Man City so far. He has seen his side fall off the pace in the title race, lose to Manchester United in the League Cup, and surrender a 5-3 lead to Monaco in the round-of-16 of the Champions League.
They are still in with a chance to win a silverware this season in the FA Cup, where they will take on Arsenal in the semi-final next month. However, at this point in time, Guardiola’s priority is to secure a direct qualification spot for the Champions League.
Image – Getty
