“We were lucky” – Pep Guardiola SHOCKING Post match interview revealing HUGE factor that helped City to defeat Nottingham Forest.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted the City Ground pitch cost Nottingham Forest victory in the Premier League.
Forest certainly did not roll over for their title-challenging opponents but fell behind on the half-hour mark as Josko Gvardiol powered home a near post header from a corner. The Reds continued to threaten though with Chris Wood miskicking an effort which looked easier to score than miss before the break.
Anthony Elanga offered promise going forward but the visitors secured the three points with 20 minutes remaining as substitute Erling Haaland slotted the ball underneath Matz Sels. After the match, Guardiola claimed the pitch which was deemed as being ‘very dry’, played into his team’s hands.
He told Sky Sports: “Yeah, totally benefited [Manchester City]. Because they had a lot chances, if it was better with the chances and their fast players it would be better for them, that’s for sure.”
Asked about how he saw the game overall, Guardiola added: “It’s a difficult game, we knew it. So difficult.
“They were prepared, a lot of incredible, fast players. We found a goal when they were 10 against 11, we were lucky because of the pitch conditions.
“They missed a lot of chances for that reason. A good victory because we had a lot of games behind us, but we have a long week to recover.”
While the Catalonian manager was adamant his team benefitted from the pitch which hindered Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo was less convinced. When those comments from his opposite number were presented to him, he replied: “I don’t know. We have talent enough to do much better.”
