MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola believes that Manchester City‘s decisive 3-0 victory over Liverpool demonstrates their readiness to contend for the Premier League title.
The win brought City within four points of leaders Arsenal, courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland, Nico González, and Jérémy Doku.
This standout result against Liverpool followed 24 hours after Mikel Arteta’s team drew 2-2 with Sunderland. Guardiola noted it was a crucial performance against the reigning champions.
Guardiola remarked, “Both Liverpool and we noticed ‘oh, Arsenal finally dropped points and conceded two goals.’ But ultimately, we have a job to do. I told the players, ‘Don’t be motivated just because Arsenal didn’t win; do it because we believe in ourselves and can compete against the champions of England. We must show we are ready for this season.’”
“We demonstrated that today. We accomplished it.”
Doku was the star performer for City against Liverpool, winning an early penalty which Haaland failed to convert, but he later netted a spectacular goal in the second half.
Guardiola expressed admiration for the Belgian, especially given Liverpool’s right-back Conor Bradley‘s impressive display against Real Madrid‘s Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday.
“He [Doku] pushes himself to improve, he listens, and possesses unique dribbling skills,” Guardiola stated. “Today, Conor [Bradley], Liverpool’s right-back, impressed me greatly. Pep Lijnders has told me countless great things about him; he’s capable of everything. I witnessed his performance against [Real] Madrid, particularly how well he managed Vinícius.”
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“He [Doku] proved himself thorough, being aggressive, and quick off the ball, and we provided him support. He delivered an outstanding performance.”
This victory against Liverpool marked a fitting celebration of Guardiola’s 1,000th match as a manager.
“I’m grateful to the players and staff for giving me such an incredible gift against our most significant rival during my time here,” expressed Guardiola. “It has always been a pleasure to compete against them and to see Virgil [van Dijk], [Andy] Robertson, and Mo Salah after all the intense battles we’ve had. It was a memorable night with my children present.”