City’s Guardiola rues missed opportunity to quell Liverpool title hopes

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts as Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp looks on - REUTERS

MANCHESTER (Reuters): Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said his side missed an opportunity to crush Liverpool’s Premier League title dreams in their 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing a fourth league title in five years, City twice led the exhilarating contest involving the two best sides the English top flight has to offer but had to settle for a point despite having several late chances to snatch all three.  This game was the first time relentless City had scored first and not gone on to win in the Premier League this season; they had won all 22 games when scoring first before Sunday. “It was a fantastic game because both teams tried to win it,” Guardiola said. “I feel we have missed an opportunity. We have left them alive (in the title race). “We performed incredibly well. We could not win but that is football. Every week we are here in the Premier League, we know what they (Liverpool) do every single day but we conceded few chances and created a lot against them. Just missing was the last action.

“I am going to see the game on my laptop tomorrow and I will pause and say ‘why did you not pass the ball there?’ But football is not like that. It is difficult in the final third in the box.” The City boss singled out Kevin De Bruyne for special praise after the midfielder again got on the score sheet at the Etihad, firing City into an early lead.

It was De Bruyne’s 11th Premier League goal this season - he has only netted more in one previous campaign (13 in 2019-20). In all competitions, the Belgian has scored in his last four matches for City, his longest run of consecutive scoring games for the club. “He has been at this level many, many years,” Guardiola added. “That season when we got 100 points (2017-18) Kevin was incredible.

“The first part of this season he struggled with injuries; now he is strong and creates chances. But he is not just a player to make assists. Now he scores goals as well. He needed to do that to reach another level. And he is doing that.”