Football news - Pep Guardiola: Manchester City showed how much we want to win the Premier League

Updated 03/04/2021 at 21:31 GMT

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was pleased to see his side come back from the international break to secure a 2-0 win against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening in the Premier League. The win moves them 17 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the league table.

Manchester City's French defender Benjamin Mendy (C) celebrates scoring the opening goal

Image credit: Getty Images

Manchester City's Pep Guardiola praised his side’s determination after their 2-0 win against Leicester City on Saturday.

The win saw Leicester remain in third and City top, but they extended their lead over Manchester United to 17 points as they close in on another Premier League title under the Catalan.

Speaking after the game to the BBC, Guardiola explained he was pleased with the win because: "It was Leicester... third in the table and with top quality players. They sat back deep... and their physicality.

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"After the internationals I didn't know how the players would be. They showed how much they wanted to win the Premier League.

"It is our fifth season together. You saw the commitment - De Bruyne, Fernandinho... I love all the players winning balls in this competition. We are close, we are closer."

Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said that he was pleased to see a winning performance after the international break interrupted their form.

"You never know after an international break but I trust my players,” he said.

“The players don't always believe me but I like every one of them. Today I trust some of my players who haven't played for a while. When you are winning, winning, the guys who play know they have to play good to play again. There is good solidarity between the players.

"The Premier League is the nicest competition [to win], it is 11 months and it is so tough. We are close. We need three more wins.”