Pep Guardiola praises Man City side after late Erling Haaland penalty earns win over Fulham - 'Everyone was exceptional'
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Updated 05/11/2022 at 21:16 GMT
It looked like it was going to be a bad day at the office for Manchester City after Joao Cancelo was sent off in the 26th minute in their Premier League match against Fulham. With both sides scoring in the first half, the match remained at 1-1 for the majority of the second half, but a 95th-minute penalty ensured that the defending champions earned all three points.
Guardiola hails 'exceptional' City comeback in dramatic win over Fulham
Pep Guardiola said that his Manchester City players are all exceptional after the team secured a 2-1 win in the 95th minute against Fulham in the Premier League.
There was late drama in the match as Erling Haaland had a goal disallowed, but the striker was still able to find the back of the net with a penalty in front of the euphoric home fans at the Etihad Stadium, scoring his 18th goal of the Premier League season.
"Everyone was exceptional," said Guardiola after the match."For 65 minutes against Fulham, to play the way we played was the moment of my period here in Manchester by far - then scoring at the end and celebrating with our people.
"We didn't win the Premier League today, of course, but these moments make sense of our jobs, all of us, to see the faces of the crowd when we walked around the pitch afterwards.
"We played in the right tempo at 10 versus 11," he said, referring to Joao Cancelo's sending-off in the first half. "You cannot attack so quick because they will attack quicker.
"All the players in the middle were amazing - Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and especially Kevin de Bruyne."
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Guardiola explains his reaction to Haaland's 95th-minute winner - 'Everyone was exceptional'
De Bruyne was the one who won the foul that led to the penalty, as the Belgian midfielder was clipped by Fulham's Antonee Robinson.
"I have said many times recently that Kevin is still not at his best, but the games against Leicester and now here, it was completely the opposite," continued Guardiola.
Haaland may have made the penalty look easy, but he claimed afterwards that he was nervous before taking the shot: "A penalty in the last minute? Of course, I would be nervous. But it was about getting through the situation in the proper way, and I did that. It was a fantastic feeling to score.
"I love it. I have been injured for a week, and it was really important for us to win. I don't care how it went in, it is about it going in. It was an amazing feeling."
Guardiola also said that he understood why Haaland was nervous about his penalty, saying: "It was a long time before he could put the ball down and take the penalty.
"It means you can think a lot. Erling has also had two or three weeks with no training, you can lose your rhythm and your tempo. So, the penalty was not the best penalty I have ever seen in my life, but I would say he hit it strong."
Up next, Manchester City will play Chelsea in the third round of the Carabao Cup, while Fulham will look to forget their disappointing loss against Manchester United in the Premier League.
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