Yahoo Finance Pep Guardiola revels in Manchester City’s dominant win over Chelsea
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City had produced their best performance of the season after the champions gained revenge for their defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League final with an impressive 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
City, who face Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday and Liverpool next weekend, were dominant against the European champions and deservedly won thanks to Gabriel Jesus’s goal in the second half. Chelsea were outplayed and Guardiola, who surpassed Les McDowall’s record of 220 wins as City manager, feels that his side have more to give.
Related: Gabriel Jesus’s deflected strike seals Manchester City win over Chelsea
“I would say this season,” he said after being asked if it was City’s best display in the last six months. “In the last months we have done many good games, otherwise you cannot win the Premier League and be runners up in the Champions League. It’s incredible what these players have done. People say the Champions League was a disaster. We played 13 games, won 11, drew one and lost one. When this happens it is exceptional, that helps us and now we go to Paris to play. I have the feeling the players are there and want to do another good season.”
Guardiola was happy with Jesus after the Brazilian scored the only goal. “Gabriel is one person or player who deserves the very best,” he said. “He’s a guy who runs and works for everyone, and every time he scores I’m the happiest man. He can play up front in all three positions and he does them all very well.
“We know from the past how aggressive Chelsea are in the duels. But you have to handle that at this level. And Gabriel, he went down, but he got up – and got up to try again. And that’s why he’s one of the best signings we have made in this period together at City.”
Tuchel admitted that Chelsea, who visit Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, were second best. “We lost the game and I think City deserved to win,” Chelsea’s manager said. “Until the goal, we were very, very strong in the last 20m of the field, but only there, unfortunately, and there are another 80m left where we were not good enough today to escape pressure, to have ball possession - and not only ball possession to breathe, but ball possession to switch play, to hurt them and to grow in confidence. We were not on our very best level, and you need your very best level to push a game like this to your side.”
