Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is one step closer to securing another Premier League title for Manchester City after his team beat an understrength West Ham 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Yet Guardiola, who warned before the game that he always expected a tough test against a side led by David Moyes praised the Hammers for their resolute performance – albeit one that was ultimately unsuccessful as the hosts score three second-half goals.
“Of course, it was not easy,” said Guardiola. “I said yesterday, West Ham is an exceptional team, with exceptional players.
“We struggled a lot. No exception today. Leeds will be similar, as will Everton at Goodison Park. I saw the game against Leicester – the chances, how aggressive they are.
“It will be so tough. In this type of game, it is important to be stable and patient. Five games left. It is in your hands.”
You may watch Guardiola’s full post-match press conference below.
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Moyes’ anxious wait for Coufal’s news
David Moyes has been left sweating over the extent of the injury sustained by Vladimir Coufal in tonight’s 3-0 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The Czech right back, who was enjoying some of his best form for some considerable time in recent weeks was forced to retire after 62 minutes with what appeared to be a thigh injury.
And Moyes admitted he was none the wiser at present as to the severity of Coufal’s condition.
“He felt his hamstring, so we’re not sure [at this stage],” Moyes told the media in his post-match press conference. “We’ll get him scanned in the morning, we’ll see how he is.”
West Ham was of course without the likes of Declan Rice, Nayef Aguerd, Tomas Soucek, and Kurt Zouma for the fixture which was always going to prove the toughest test away from home this season.
Yet Moyes believes his team gave a good account of themselves despite falling to a third successive Premier League defeat. ” I have to praise the players who came in and did such a good job,” he said.
“For long periods we made it quite difficult against a really good team. The second goal was probably the first time we let the game get opened up for Haaland to run in behind.
“We gave the ball away ourselves, played up and it was dropped off. You get a chance to go through, the third goal was a deflection. All in all, it’s not a good result but performances at this time of year, do they matter? Not as much as they do earlier on.
“I do think that if you tend to have good performances, it tends to lead to good results. Let’s hope we have got a few good results to go.”
And Moyes bemoaned the fact that his team conceded the opening goal from a set piece – something the squad would’ve worked endlessly upon during preparation for the game – just seven minutes into the second half, following a professional opening 45 minutes that had ensured the Hammers entered the half time interval on level terms.
“To concede a set piece was galling because we had done a really good job for long periods,” he said. “We were going to have to do it again.
“We gave the ball away on the left-hand side and they broke. We gave away a free-kick and maybe tonight, we didn’t have the stature that we’ve had in other games. Disappointing, because it was a poor one to lose against a side who can score some great goals. That was a poor one for us.
“I think football clubs will always have individual errors, it tends to be the way,” he continued. “Collective ones, it is better when they are collective because you can work on it and try and get them right together.
“There were a couple of individual errors which we didn’t defend – the cross into the back post – well enough. Ake gets a goal; the second one, we give it away when we are in a good position. The third you couldn’t do much about, the boy takes a great volley but it takes a deflection.
“I think individual errors are part of it though and there have been too many this year. I agree with that.”
And when asked whether he wished to respond to comments from Pep Guardiola praising West Ham’s defensive structure, Moyes replied: “I wish he was praising our attacking play as well!
“I’d say our defensive structure was really good today, but our attacking play when we got the ball had to be much better to cause them problems. We didn’t cause them enough; very, very minimal problems, to be honest. But on the other side of it, we tried to do as good a job as we could.
“Bayern Munich have been there and have been turned over. Arsenal has been here and turned over. So I don’t think you can kid yourself and just turn up here without any structure to what you do.
“I thought, in the main, the players who were in tonight done a really good job.”
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