For all their goals this season – 129 of them in all competitions – City didn’t create enough clear-cut chances in the two legs, despite bossing possession in both games.
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Guardiola was sent off in the 2-1 loss after he confronted the official.
Despite their impressive tradition and record, Liverpool still have to fight to keep their star players and have seen Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez both depart for Barcelona in the past few years. Honestly, who do you think you are? “It’s nearly impossible”, he added.
The Italian didn’t play in the final in Rome and could only watch his teammates lose to Liverpool on penalties.
City can look back with some pride though on their first-half performance.
This is three defeats in big games in a row for Guardiola and if there is a question about his team, it is the same one everyone highlighted last season and in the early part of this campaign. This (Premier League) is unbelievably strong, this competition (Champions League) is unbelievably strong but I don’t care who is in (the competition).
“We defended well, it’s not our best game but we deserved it at the end”.
He told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sports: “In comparison to the other teams, especially Real (Madrid) and Bayern (Munich), (Liverpool and AS Roma) have less individual quality”.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, City were ahead inside two minutes through Gabriel Jesus and bombarded Liverpool in the first half in search of more goals.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk gave the ball away and Fernandinho played a superb pass to Raheem Sterling on the right who slipped the ball across to Jesus to slot home. I didn’t insult him. But Mateu Lahoz is a special guy, he likes to be different, he likes to be special.
He said on Irish broadcaster TV3 Sport: “For me, this is a better team than the one that won in Istanbul (in 2005)”. About 10 minutes in, Sadio Mane found his way into the box and got dispossessed by Ederson, but Mohamed Salah was there to pounce on the loose ball and get Liverpool’s all-important away goal.
GETTYWhat did Pep Guardiola do wrong against Liverpool?
Salah’s strike meant City needed four goals to advance to the semi-finals, and that was never going to happen.
“To recover three goals is not easy”.
“That is what we want to do as professional athletes: get to as many finals and then when you get there you want to win”.
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“Last season it was the round of 16, this season it’s the quarter finals, hopefully next season we can go to the semi-finals”.
