Pep Guardiola praises three Man City stars amid Fulham chaos

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about the team performance in their 5-4 Premier League win over Fulham

Pep Guardiola did not even wait for a question before asking reporters if they were not entertained by Manchester City's dramatic 5-4 victory over Fulham. As the Blues escaped from a ground that had turned into a colosseum as the hosts threatened a comeback that defied belief, the manager could laugh about a result that will live long in the memory of everyone who was there.

City's manager joked that he thought the players were happy to work with him, and of the hair that he had lost as he spent more time in the final minutes glancing anxiously at the clock amid eight minutes of added time rather than the drama that was unfolding on the pitch. He accepted that better defending is necessary as they go forward with the team becoming too anxious after Nico Gonzalez went off.

However, Guardiola also wanted to take the positives from an inexperienced side that is not as polished as some of their predecessors but have room to grow. With holding midfield a recurring issue given the absences of Rodri and Mateo Kovacic, the City boss singled out three of his stars for particular praise in the final minutes of a chaotic game.

"Rayan Cherki is new, today Rayan Cherki in the last minutes and Bernardo and Nico O'Reilly were the key to keep less chance to concede a goal," he said. "They made a step up in the last minutes, especially Rayan, who was exceptional. What can I say? Improve, we have many good things and the bad things we will improve."

He added: "Tijjani (Reijnders) is the first season, Nico O'Reilly is the first season playing that position, Matheus (Nunes) is the first season playing that position, Nico Gonzalez it is the first year that he plays a lot, Kovacic and Rodri - the Ballon D’Or winner who alongside Erling Haaland is the most important player that we have, we don’t have him for one year and a half. We don’t have a replacement for Nico in that position.

City's inexperience may cost them in the title race, but they have moved to within two points of Arsenal, who are at home to Brentford on Wednesday. There may well be more rollercoaster matches for fans to enjoy and endure, although the manager hopes that his team will mature quickly.

"This kind of thing, learn for the future. Do it," he said. "When Rayan came in with moments in behind it was 1vs1 on the keeper so we had the chances. At the end, we have to handle it better but I promise you with experienced players that doesn’t happen. When it happens, it’s happened. We have to control it better but it's happened. Sometimes, it’s football."