Pep Guardiola could do nothing but gush about his players after Manchester City shockingly demolished Chelsea 6-0 at the Etihad on Sunday.
The Manchester City boss said it was one of the most incredible performances he’s seen his players put on, and while it still wasn’t perfect – because of course he would say that – it still blew him away.
“Incredible week, incredible game,” Guardiola said during his post-match media availability. “We were lucky to score the first three goals because Sergio [Aguero] missed one, and after the 4-0 they were much better than us. In the second half after 5-0 it was tough for them with that result mentally it was not easy, but in general we make an incredible performance against Chelsea.”
After Aguero’s hat-trick and Raheem Sterling‘s brace, Pep even went so far as to say he believes it might be the most stellar performance he has seen his team put on at the Etihad, and much of that had to do with his high esteem of Chelsea coming into the game.
“Yes,” Guardiola said when asked if this was one of the best performances by his Manchester City team. “I know how they [Chelsea] play, they destroy the openings…I’m not talking about winning or losing, they play incredible, and that’s why I’m very pleased.”
With Aguero moving into the lead as all-time Manchester City goalscorer and also tying the Premier League record for most hat-tricks with his 11th, Guardiola had all praise for the Argentine, not just for his current form but also his longevity.
“I’ve said many times, this is ninth season or tenth season here…I don’t know how many seasons…and he’s scored every single season a lot of goals. I admire this kind of players, with the consistency, like David [Silva]. Young players come, other people come, one season, two seasons, but he stays for a long time, and that is fantastic.”
Finally, with Manchester City moving top of the Premier League on goal differential, Guardiola mentioned that while Liverpool controls its own destiny in the title race given they own a game in hand, he’s so proud of his team for maintaining a competitive mentality even after winning the title last year.
“I’m proud the most about, after what happened last season, I have said many times that I feel that way, what we have done last season, still being there every single game, every single game, trying and trying and they’re still there in the position. That means a lot to me and that means a lot to the club, for the organization, for all the people working here, so that is why…11 games [for us], the other one is 12, so we are going to try until the end to retain the title.”
