- Pep Guardiola said his players capitulated due to the intense Anfield atmosphere
- Manchester City conceded four goals in eight frenzied minutes against Liverpool
- City staged a late comeback but it wasn’t enough as they lost for the first time
- The City boss admitted they struggled to stay stable in the boistrous atmosphere
- Guardiola urged his players to learn ahead of defining games later in the season
Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City’s players lost control in eight frenzied minutes to leave their hopes of an unbeaten season in tatters.
This was only City’s second Premier League defeat in 12 months – the other came against Chelsea on April 5 – but the manner in which they combusted, conceding goals to Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and an 40-yard strike from Mohamed Salah, left Guardiola startled.
He claimed the intensity of the atmosphere inside Anfield led his players to do things they have not done all season and Guardiola wants them to learn lessons ahead of games that will define their campaign later in the season.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted his players lost control in Liverpool defeat
‘We were involved in the environment from Anfield for many reasons and you have to try and be stable, especially for lessons in the knock-out games in the Champions League,’ said Guardiola. ‘You can concede a goal but you cannot lose.
‘We lose that a little bit but we are still fighting, still trying and we found two goals and that’s all, so it is our first defeat. You need to live those situations to realise what we have done so far. Football is unpredictable. You lose today against a fantastic team. You have to be sure to win the next one.’
Guardiola, who refused to discuss a possible move for Alexis Sanchez with City having made it clear they will not pay more than £20million for the Chilean, is likely to be without Fabian Delph for a significant period of time.
Roberto Firmino restored Liverpool’s lead after stealing the ball off of John Stones
City conceded again just minutes later to Sadio Mane after another defensive error
Mohamed Salah scored to make it three goals in eight minutes to secure the three points
The England international overstretched his knee in the 26th minute and left Anfield on crutches with his right leg in a brace. He will undergo a scan in the next 24 hours to determine the extent of the damage but Guardiola said it was likely ‘he would be out for a while’.
It was a chastening afternoon but City’s lead at the top of the table remains 15 points and Leroy Sane, who scored his side’s first goal, was adamant that it will not stop their march to becoming champions.
‘We show character in every game, we always try to score goals,’ said Sane. ‘We are disappointed to lose a game, it is a long time since we won here at Anfield. But at the end of the season, when we win the Premier League, nobody cares if we lost a game.’
The City boss said his player were too involved in the environment and must learn from this
Guardiola also confirmed Fabian Delph, who went off injured, is set to be sidelined for a while