Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Karl Matchett

Pep Guardiola hails Man City’s mental strength after victory over Arsenal

Photograph: POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola praised his team for coming through a tough encounter against Arsenal to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

The Etihad Stadium club had only won one of their three opening fixtures before this win, with a late start and international breaks interrupting any kind of consistency.

A single goal from Raheem Sterling was enough to win a tight game, with City defending particularly well in the second half once ahead.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Guardiola claimed it was a vital win for the team’s mentality as much as for the returning faces.

“It was so important for our heads, this victory, for the problems that we had,” he said.

“Bernardo [Silva] coming back, Aguero played a good 60 minutes and an incredible effort for everyone.”

Guardiola also reserved praise for his goalkeeper, after the Brazilian made a couple of vital one-on-one stops to deny Arsenal and preserve his clean sheet, giving City the three points ahead of a busy run of games.

"Ederson again; the game against Leeds he made incredible saves [and] today again.

“It’s the beginning of the season but after the international break is finished, the transfer market is over…we can start from here.”

City now face a run of five games in 13 days across league and Champions League competitions.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.