Yahoo Sports Guardiola congratulates ‘unstoppable’ Liverpool after Anfield defeat
Pep Guardiola has said Liverpool were ‘unstoppable’ during the opening exchanges of Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield.
Manchester City’s torrid run of form continued after losing at Liverpool on Sunday, as goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah condemned the Citizens to a sixth defeat in seven games across all competitions.
The result leaves Guardiola’s side 11 points behind Liverpool in the title race and facing an uphill task to defend their crown. Guardiola has also overseen a seven-game winless run for the first time in his managerial career.
Reflecting on his side’s performance, Guardiola admitted City struggled to cope with a high-intensity start from the home side.
“The first 15-20 minutes they were unstoppable, they started so strong, we tried to play with a lot of control and passes, but it was difficult to take it,” Guardiola said to Sky Sports.
“They deserved the first goal, but we started the first half so well and played well in the second half without too much threat. I know how strong Liverpool are in both boxes.
“I congratulate them and we’ll reset and start from zero and it is difficult to believe it. I rely a lot on these players, I know they are doing in this position. We’ll see what happens by the end of the season.
“We can always do the short passes, and we can do it, but we don’t have many alternatives. All I can say is thank you to them because I know the commitment that they showed with and without the ball. Maybe I had a feeling inside me that we will build from them. We will restart and try and make a good run.
“There is a moment where maybe it will click. Today Kevin [De Bruyne] played good minutes and Jack [Grealish] played well in that position and Jeremy [Doku] played good minutes after a month out. Bernardo and Rico [Lewis] have a lot of minutes in their legs.
“Nathan [Ake] was exceptional against maybe one of the great wingers. I congratulate Liverpool, they deserve the victory and we accept the situation right now and we’ll build from that.”
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