Pep Guardiola was welcomed at the Etihad Stadium with a record crowd and a newly named Pep Guardiola Stand. Fans arrived in hot sunshine for farewells to John Stones, Bernardo Silva, and Guardiola, with pre-match tributes and chants. Guardiola’s final home match ended without the victory he hoped for. Aston Villa matched City’s intensity and limited their attacking rhythm, then took the lead through Antoine Semenyo after 23 minutes from a left-corner. City pressed repeatedly, including late chances from Phil Foden, but the equaliser was ruled offside. Villa’s defensive work and countering moments, including plays involving Douglas Luiz and others, helped secure the result.
"Pep Guardiola!: the two magical words for all of a Manchester City stripe came from the Etihad Stadium announcer ahead of the great man's entrance in light-tan slacks and white T-shirt, a P' for Pep emblazoned across the left breast pocket. The reception was rapturous. Poignant too. From a record 60,332 crowd due to the opening of the extension to the newly named The Pep Guardiola Stand. They came in the blazing sunshine and temperatures over 25C to experience three sad and fond farewells to John Stones, Bernardo Silva and a genius, Guardiola."
"Before the contest tifos of the trio appeared, Guardiola's having three sobriquets: game changer, history maker, and City forever. Apt from a 55-year-old who said: Now is the time, I'm pretty sure. Once we announced I thought, maybe I was wrong. The past has been really good with us, but the future will be better without me. You have to have a special energy. Silva, crying, led the team out for a season finale Guardiola hoped would end in a victory that never arrived due to Aston Villa's thirst for the same result."
"Phil Foden's late strike chalked out for offside illustrating why Unai Emery's team are a force. They showed, too, how they became Europa League champions last week when Douglas Luiz, Tyrone Mings, and Ian Maatsen sliced through City's press. Ross Barkley's run, too, impressed and caused Guardiola to slump in his seat. Yet for passage, those in light-blue had Villa where they like them: hemmed in, having to repel constant attacks in the heat. The result: Antoine Semenyo's opener, after 23 minutes, from a corner from the left."
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]