LONDON: Pep Guardiola has warned Liverpool they need to fight to the death to win the Premier League as his Manchester City side will not give up.
The Abu Dhabi-owned club beat Everton 2-0 on Wednesday to go top of the table on goal difference barely a month after the Reds could have gone 10 points clear.
Liverpool may have a game in hand but the City coach is now confident his side have the grit and determination — to go along with their undoubted flair and attacking prowess — to defend their title after many were questioning the team’s character.
“We have a game every three days for three months. I don’t know how far we will get, maybe we will die in the road, but we are trying,” Guardiola said.
“We have played one more game than Liverpool. It’s good to be top but Liverpool has a game at Old Trafford.
“I don’t think too much about that but four or five days ago we could have been seven points behind, it is a lesson to not give up.”
While he often maintains a cool, calm exterior there is little doubting the recent questioning of City’s temperament annoyed Guardiola.
“We come from champions and we are in a situation where we could have given up but it didn’t happen,” the Spaniard said.
“We gave an incredible game against Liverpool. These players have shown incredible desire and performances for the last two years. How could I question them?”
Next up for City is a home clash against Chelsea on Sunday, while Liverpool face Bournemouth at Anfield.
“We have an incredible test on Sunday against Chelsea,” Guardiola said.
In City and Guardiola’s favor is the return to form of Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian was sidelined for most of the first half of the season with a knee injury and against Everton was used off the bench. But sure to start against Chelsea Guardiola is excited about he impact the winger can have.
“He had a good kick in his last game and I didn’t want extra, I prefer a few minutes to 90 minutes from Kevin and maybe he will be fresh for Sunday,” the coach said.
“What I like, especially from Kevin, he came on and he was incredible.
“You don’t win football competitions with 11 players. The players that come on after, sometimes I read which players can help us make a (difference) because some players don’t play good from the bench.”
Pep Guardiola warns Liverpool Manchester City will fight to the death for Premier League title
Pep Guardiola warns Liverpool Manchester City will fight to the death for Premier League title
- City coach says his side will never give up their title without a battle.
- Defending champions face Chelsea on Sunday after Reds face Bournemouth the day before.
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
