Pep Guardiola was not coy in saying he was pleased as Punch with Manchester City’s hard-earned point against Liverpool after a 1-1 draw with the Reds at the Etihad, admitting that Liverpool\u2019s front four caused the Etihad side problems but believes both teams will take encouragement from their stalemate.<\/p>\n
The Reds started with Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in attack as they took the lead in the 13th minute through Salah\u2019s penalty, only for Gabriel Jesus to equalise shortly after the half-hour.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, to the agony of his stunned teammates, the usually stoic and dependable Kevin De Bruyne missed a penalty with his kick straying off the left post before the break but Guardiola had no\u00a0qualms with the final score.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tight game,\u201d said the City boss. \u201cThey start really well, they found\u00a0space between the lines and runs in behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not easy because they are so fast today with four players.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the goal we conceded, we were much better, we equalised and the second half was much better.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a clear chance with Gabriel, but there were not many chances. It speaks well for both sides.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery team wants three points but one point is one point.\u00a0We are drawing too much (at the moment) but in general I think it is a fair result.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow happy am I? A lot, maybe happier than ever. In 12 games we have lost one in all competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guardiola, though, was unhappy with his team\u2019s defending for Liverpool\u2019s penalty, with Kyle Walker caught out by a burst from Sadio Mane and upending the Senegalese.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe concede three penalties (this season), today we concede one because we didn\u2019t learn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"