Coach Pep Guardiola was pleased with the way Man City overcame difficulties to beat Everton 2-0 in round 24 of the Premier League.
"I like to win these kinds of games," Guardiola said after the match at the Etihad Stadium on February 10. "I knew Man City would have a difficult game. It's always complicated to play Everton. We've dropped a lot of points at their stadium in recent years."
In fact, despite playing at home, controlling the ball 74% of the time, and having 10 shots, Man City did not have a single shot on target in the first half. The most notable situation came in the second minute of injury time, when Manuel Akanji had a chance to shoot in the penalty area but was blocked by centre-back James Tarkowski.
After Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker entered the field in the 57th minute, Man City started to improve. The defending champions gradually created great pressure and made a difference with goals from Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker opened the scoring with a volley in the 71st minute, then accelerated to put the ball past centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and put his left foot into the far corner to seal the victory in the 85th minute.
Coach Pep Guardiola directs John Stones during the match against Everton in round 24 of the Premier League. Photo: AP
Guardiola said Man City started the game with poor form and body language in the first half due to the lunchtime game. The Spanish coach assessed Man City played better in the second half, when substitutes Kyle Walker, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish all left their mark.
"I like to win games like this when Man City suffer," Guardiola added. "It shows how difficult the Premier League is. No victory comes easily. The way the team celebrated the victory shows how difficult it was and how satisfied they are."
Haaland's second came from a through ball from De Bruyne, with the pair combining for the first time this season. Guardiola has hailed the pair as complementary and their return will only strengthen the team's title challenge. "Since day one, De Bruyne needs runners, and runners like Haaland need assists," said the 53-year-old. "There is a natural connection. De Bruyne, Haaland are back and that's important. I'm really pleased."
This victory helps Man City continue to cling to the gap with less than two points, despite having played one game less, compared to the top of the table Liverpool. Guardiola wants his students to quickly forget the victory to focus on the away trip to Copenhagen in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on February 13.
Hong Duy
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