“This is something we have to learn for future tight games against Liverpool” – Pep Guardiola admits one player was ‘difficult’ to stop during 1-0 defeat at Anfield
Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City will have to be wary of Mohamed Salah the next time they face Liverpool following a defeat on Sunday, October 16.
A superb 76th-minute goal by Salah proved to be the difference in a hugely important 1-0 win at Anfield for the Reds. The 1.75-meter-tall Egypt international can be deceptive when it comes to how strong he is in possession.
Salah used his upper body strength to great effect for the goal as he spun past Joao Cancelo and found himself in a one-vs-one situation with Ederson. City aren't alien to conceding world-class goals to the former Chelsea winger as he now has nine goals and five assists in 17 matches against them.
Guardiola believes his team needs to be more attentive towards Salah in the future. However, he did not hide the fact that the goal emanated from a mistake by two players from his side.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, he said:
"We conceded a goal because of a mistake. We didn’t follow the transition. Alisson plays it out quick, Kevin De Bruyne didn’t follow, and Joao lost the duel. It is always so difficult against Salah with the way he uses his body.
“This is something we have to learn for future tight games against Liverpool. But the way we played, the performance and the courage we played with was fantastic.”
Another peek at the goal from a distant camera angle will show that Salah began running towards City's goal even before Alisson Becker caught the ball. Guardiola was visibly signaling for his team to track that run, which they didn't do properly.
Salah now has three goals and three assists in nine Premier League matches this season.
Pep Guardiola unhappy with Manchester City's disallowed goal vs Liverpool
One contentious moment in the game was Phil Foden's disallowed goal in the 53rd minute. The England international celebrated with Erling Haaland in front of an elated away end at Liverpool's home ground.
However, the joy was cut short as soon as the referee walked towards the monitor after being advised by the VAR. Whenever this happens, decisions are usually reversed and it was no different this time.
Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Liverpool midfielder Fabinho in the build-up to that goal. In the post-match interview, Guardiola sarcastically commented that the venue of the match had something to do with the VAR decision. He told Sky Sports:
"The referee came to the coaches and said play on, play on. There were a million fouls. But after we scored a goal, he decided it is not play on. This is Anfield."