Guardiola takes subtle dig at Arsene Wenger

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola took a subtle dig at manager Arsene Wenger following the Citizens’ 3-1 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium last month. The Premier League leaders dominated for large periods of the game, but they were eventually fortunate to have won by such a comfortable scoreline.

Following the game, Wenger was critical of the referee’s performance after he adjudged Raheem Sterling to have dived for his penalty, which put City 2-0 ahead in the second half. The north London side got a goal back via Alexandre Lacazette, but their chances of a comeback were diminished after the linesman failed to spot David Silva being offside prior to City’s third goal scored by Gabriel Jesus.

In response to Wenger, Guardiola highlighted that the Gunners have previously been favoured in a similar way against Burnley, he said: “They told me it was offside, I don’t like to win in that way, so it’s like this. But sometimes Arsenal win at Burnley in the 96th minute with a hand, sometimes it’s like this. The important thing is the performance, the way we tried to play, and we did it really well.”

The win takes City to a record 46 points after the first 14 games of the season, and they are now eleven points ahead of Manchester United, who also won their match against Bournemouth. The Citizens are currently on a club-record 17-match winning streak, with the city match stats laos showing that they have run more than any other Premier League team in do so, and they appear to be in pole position to lift the English crown having convincing beaten the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in the first half of the season.

Initially, it looked to be a two-horse race between the Manchester clubs, but Jose Mourinho’s side have dropped off the pace since October with just one win in four matches. The Europa League holders are presently just one point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, who are third and fourth respectively, and they required a huge upturn in form in the coming months to stand a chance of ending their Premier League drought.