‘This cannot happen!’ – Pep Guardiola is furious after Manchester City blows a two-goal lead to draw with Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola looked unhappy after Manchester City lost a two-goal lead to draw with struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The game ended 2-2 at the Etihad, but City were expected to steamroll a Palace side that was out of form and dealing with a dreadful injury crisis.
Then, in injury time, Phil Foden fouled Mateta in the box, allowing Michael Olise to score from the penalty and end City’s title defence.
Guardiola’s team is now fourth in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa, who all play tomorrow.
‘We lost two points because of our decisions. We gave up the penalty, which was well deserved. This cannot happen, but it did,’ City manager Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports.
‘We played a really really terrific performance, all details were really good. We gave up nothing and defended set pieces excellently. Where they are strong, they played with patience because they had ten men behind the ball, which is difficult.
We created more, conceded almost nothing but were not able to win games. It happened against Spur, against Liverpool. Today we were not able to take points. We cannot do anything else.’
As Guardiola alludes to, City have now drawn their last three home games and have won just one of their last six league fixtures – form that they’ll take to the Club World Cup, with the side set to jet off to Saudi Arabia very shortly.
He later added in his post-match press conference: ‘At the end, be patient and don’t concede transitions and don’t concede like we have done in seven or eight years in these type of games.
This cannot happen!’ – Pep Guardiola is furious after Manchester City blows a two-goal lead to draw with Crystal Palace.
‘But, of course, they go and score a goal in the first action, and we give them [a penalty] in the last minute. You have to be careful in the 18-yard box, and we weren’t. We have no right to win.
‘It’s not poor luck; it was earned. We forfeit two points. You deserve this penalty if you give it away.
‘You see the opportunities we generated and conceded – apart from the Chelsea game – it’s very comparable to the rest of the season – but we can’t close the games. That’s how I feel.’
