Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his excitement and relief after his team’s dramatic 2-1 win over Aston Villa, which saw them climb to third place in the Premier League standings. The victory was sealed by Matheus Nunes’s stoppage-time winner, which sparked a wild celebration from Guardiola.
“We’re not used to it. That belongs to Liverpool especially, how many times did they score late winners under Jurgen (Klopp) and Arsenal under Mikel (Arteta) as well? I’m not used to it, so I’m really, really happy,” Guardiola said, acknowledging the significance of the win.
The win was a crucial one for Manchester City, who had been seconds away from a damaging result in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish. However, thanks to Nunes’s composed finish from an acute angle, City now control their own fate with four games left in their turbulent league season.
Guardiola praised his team’s performance, saying, “Football is emotion. For the fans, players, we have a lot of pressure for the club to go to the Champions League. The players behave unbelievable. We’re so pleased. We’re in the last four games and we’re a Champions League contender for qualification.”
The victory was a rare uplifting moment in a difficult campaign for City, who will surrender the title they had won in the previous four seasons. Guardiola acknowledged the challenges they faced, saying, “Football if you’re in this business to live with the disappointment. The performance was really good and we were able to do it.”
Despite the win, Guardiola remained grounded, saying, “The season has been bad. The reality is what makes you feel good is the Premier League.” He also expressed his satisfaction with a potential top-five finish, given the circumstances of the season.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, on the other hand, was disappointed with the loss, but called on his players to bounce back in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley. “We can’t waste time, we lost in the last minute of this match, but we competed well. We were close to drawing,” he said.
“We can’t waste time now, we have to keep going. We want to try keep the level that we’re achieving and try to be demanding in our way so we can build us stronger in everything. Tomorrow, rest. Thursday and Friday, positive and work hard to prepare for the game against Crystal Palace.”