Pep Guardiola has refused to be drawn on West Ham’s controversial disallowed goal against Arsenal, insisting he remains solely focussed on Manchester City’s upcoming clash with Crystal Palace.
City applied the pressure on title rivals Arsenal with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Brentford last weekend to reduce the gap to two points ahead of the Gunners’ trip to West Ham.
Leandro Trossard found a dramatic breakthrough for Arsenal with just seven minutes of normal time remaining at the London Stadium, with the relegation-threatened Hammers proving a tough nut to crack up until that point.
But there was another jaw-dropping twist in stoppage time as Callum Wilson fired through a crowd of bodies to seemingly cancel out Trossard’s effort and rescue a point for the hosts.
After a lengthy VAR check, though, which dragged on for the best part of five minutes, Wilson’s goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up, with Pablo adjudged to have impeded David Raya with an arm across the chest.
The visitors clung on to their narrow lead to emerge with a 1-0 victory, ensuring they restored their five-point advantage at the summit with just two matches remaining of the top-flight campaign.
Asked how the late controversy affected the mood in the City camp at a press conference this afternoon, Guardiola replied: ‘I didn’t see the players yet since I gave them a day off.
‘Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace. I’m thinking what we have to do to always learn from my career as a manager: what you cannot control, forget about it.
‘Do better, what you have not done better this season, arrive in better positions to fight for the Premier League.
‘We are still fighting… and Crystal Palace.’
Once the dust had settled on the late drama at the London Stadium, West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo claimed ‘everyone’ in football was ‘confused’ by apparent inconsistencies in refereeing.
Pressed for a response on Nuno’s remarks, Guardiola replied: ‘I am not the right person to ask.
‘What is said is said in the past so it’s a question for the referees, for what they decide, not me.’
Asked how football can get a sense of ‘authenticity’ back, the City manager said: ‘VAR arrived for many years here. We adapt, we know it and everybody knows it.’
City’s squad will be all too aware that dropped points at home to Palace on Wednesday night will likely prove catastrophic in their hopes of catching Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
And despite 15th-placed Palace going four games without a win in the English top flight, Guardiola knows it will be no mean feat based on his past experiences against the Eagles.
‘It has always been a tough game since Roy Hodgson especially and now with Oliver Glasner,’ the Spaniard explained.
‘They have their final, a European final [Europa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27], so maybe struggling a little bit in the Premier League, a lot of changes.
‘The manager is leaving, that was announced a long time ago, and maybe they’re not consistent, but the quality is there, the patterns are there.’
On Glasner, Guardiola continued: ‘He did an incredible job in Germany and he’s an experienced manager, no doubt.
‘Top team with a past, with Eberechi Eze, with Jean-Philippe Mateta, with Adam Wharton, with Marc Guehi, clear patterns, really, really good.
‘Tough to beat and always have been, but still we are there.’
There are some fears amongst City’s fanbase that Palace could play a weakened team against Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League season given their Conference League final with Rayo Vallecano falls just three days later.
Asked if he, too, was concerned about the prospect of Glasner resting players against the Gunners, Guardiola replied: ‘No, they are so professional, the teams.
‘Crystal Palace will play top against us. We saw Leeds yesterday against Spurs how even being out of the relegation battle they still compete.
‘We played here against Aston Villa in the past, West Ham, we knew how difficult it was so I’m pretty sure they will do their best.
‘They have their final three days later.’
Guardiola went on to sing the praises of Marc Guehi, who of course left Palace to complete a £20million move to the Etihad in January.
‘I said one week later since he arrived that he was an incredible signing,’ he said of the England defender.
‘He’s focussed in every single detail of the game, his private life, to be a professional, it’s an unbelievable sign for this club.
‘So we are really pleased with his behaviour, how he turned around immediately. That defines the big, big players in the big clubs. Really pleased.’
