Pep Guardiola's telling Anfield verdict after Man City wins at Liverpool

Pep Guardiola celebrated his first win with fans at Anfield as Manchester City beat Liverpool 2-1 with late goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland, closing the gap on Arsenal to six points in the Premier League title race

Pep Guardiola enjoyed his first win at Anfield in front of fans as Manchester City left it late to beat Liverpool in dramatic fashion(Image: Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola enjoyed his first victory in front of Anfield's spectators as Manchester City manager, expressing his delight at the 2-1 triumph over reigning Premier League champion Liverpool.

The Reds suffered their eighth league defeat of the season following late goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland, the latter scoring from the penalty spot. This dealt another significant blow to their hopes of securing Champions League qualification.

Guardiola, who has been at the helm of City since 2016, had only previously celebrated a win at Liverpool's home ground once before, which occurred at an empty Anfield during the Covid era five years ago.

"That (2021 win) doesn't count, right?" Guardiola quipped with his team, currently second in the table, reducing the gap to leaders and Carabao Cup final rival Arsenal to six points.

"It is much better, obviously. Hopefully, we can never come here again without people. It is so difficult, Anfield is Anfield, the tradition, the history, and the crowd.

"It always looks smaller, tighter here, and the pitch doesn't look like Etihad Stadium. And the players that they have and everything. Of course, we would be disappointed, and all the questions would be over and over (about the title), but six points is better than nine.

Bernando Silva led Liverpool's fightback(Image: Getty Images)

"It is still a lot considering how strong Arsenal are in all departments. It is better to have. I said the same, 13 games is a lot in the Premier League. The final of the Carabao Cup is coming, the Champions League is here... so many games. Injuries and many things and every team play for something - Champions League qualification, Europa League, Conference League or not being relegated.

"Every game, the last 10 games from my experience, not drama, but it is so difficult. The important thing is to try to be there, improve because the second half was not good enough again, and the game we did against Spurs was not good enough to win three points.

"Today it could happen the same. But it is a young team and maybe in the recent future we can improve on that."

Guardiola continued: "The first half was exceptional but many times we are not composed enough in the final third, a little bit more calm to take the right decisions. In the boxes you have to take a coffee, as a defender and as a striker, and we are, so all the actions, always arrive one metre before or one metre later, never in the spot.

"But we are so young in many, many things and second half, we knew that they would push a little bit more, in the first half we played some long balls and we fought and Omar (Marmoush) and Erling they were there because I know it's an incredibly difficult task (against, Ibrahima) Konate and (Virgil) Van Dijk, to win those balls, but the second half not even try.

"That ball goes quick, it comes back quicker. And after that, we allowed the crowd to be involved. After, hats off to (Dominik) Szoboszlai, it was a copy-paste of the Arsenal one, but, at the end, being guided by our incredible player, one of the best players I ever trained, our captain Bernardo (Silva), we follow him, I follow him too.

"Because when a player always puts the team in front of him and does things through his own example, everybody follows him.

"Me the first, and he scored the first one and made the assist for the penalty to Matheus (Nunes), and yeah, we won finally, I would say at Anfield, always it's so difficult, and I'm happy for the result for the guys, because we were there.

"From the beginning, I said, 'Okay, I know Liverpool always start strong, we have to start stronger.' The first who punches will have more chances to win the game."