Pep Guardiola said there was nothing to say to his Manchester City players after their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.
City dropped points in the title race to give further encouragement to Liverpool - who play at Arsenal on Wednesday - with a frustrating display at Selhurst Park where they missed a host of chances. Joao Cancelo and Kevin De Bruyne hit the post while Bernardo Silva missed several excellent opportunities as the Blues were stopped by Palace for the second time this season.
Guardiola had spoken before the game about City's strength with expected goals not ultimately meaning anything, and here was another reminder as the league leaders failed to convert the good chances they created. Despite the draw though, the City manager could not criticise too much of the performance.
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The team knew they should have scored, but there was plenty of promise from the performance that pleased Guardiola. And, as Bernardo Silva said afterwards, the title race is still in their hands.
"That’s football. We have to score goals. We didn’t do it," said Guardiola.
"There are still nine games, a lot of points to go. We were not brilliant up front but in general it was a really good game.
"They know that when they play like this there is nothing to say. We have five days before Southampton. We did everything. What I want from my team is to do better than the opponent."
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