Pep Guardiola has dismissed claims he tampered with the pitch ahead of Manchester City’s showdown with Liverpool.
The Premier League champions blew the title race wide open with a 2-1 against Jurgen Klopp’s leaders at the Etihad last week.
That led to claims Guardiola had ordered groundstaff to grow the grass extra-long in a bid to stifle Liverpool’s quick-passing game.
But the City manager insists he’s never tried to unsettle an opponent with such tactics.
“I’m not the groundskeeper,” said Guardiola. “I never did. If they want to play quick, we want to play quicker. We always try to put water on, but it’s not necessary here.
“We want to cut the field - it’s better conditions for both teams. When this happens, you do the best for opponents.”
Stories of City’s attempts to seek an advantage over Klopp’s team have been circulated on social media since last week’s game.
Guardiola added: “We have to respect them with the rules. I never speak with the groundsman.
“I have many issues to think about that. I trust the groundsman - I never made a phone call to say do this to damage our opponents. When you do that karma tends to get you.”
Leroy Sane’s second half winner thrust City straight back into title contention at a time when Liverpool looked set to run away at the top.
City handed Liverpool their first defeat of the season and cut the gap at the top to just four points.
Guardiola’s side take on Burton in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi final on Wednesday as they continue their pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple.
With Liverpool knocked out of the FA Cup with defeat to Wolves on Monday, and having already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup, Klopp’s team face a significantly reduced fixture list in the closing stages of the campaign.
Klopp named a much-weakened side at Molineux, but Guardiola refused to pass judgement.
“I’m not talking about what Jurgen has done,” he said. “Every situation, every game is different. You handle it in the right moment, believe me.
“What the other clubs do, they do and the reason is not my business.”
