Pep Guardiola insisted he wouldn’t point fingers at the officials after Manchester City slipped to a 2–1 defeat away at Newcastle, despite a string of controversial calls that left his bench fuming.
City felt they had a strong shout for a penalty in the first half when Phil Foden was clipped in the box, while Newcastle’s winner dragged on through a lengthy VAR check with questions over fouls in the build up. But Guardiola kept his cool post match, refusing to turn the loss into a blame game.
“It is what it is after VAR decided. They know perfectly,” he told the BBC. He added he had “no questions” for the officials, even though he was seen speaking to the referee at full time.
For all the drama, the real action came in a seven minute burst after the break. Harvey Barnes hit twice for Newcastle, either side of Ruben Dias’ equaliser which briefly looked like sparking a City comeback. Both keepers pulled off big saves, and Guardiola admitted his side wasted chances early on. “Both keepers were good and after we missed chances,” he said. “It was an entertaining game with many chances, we were closer in the beginning.”
The City boss also heaped praise on Newcastle’s quality, saying they simply weren’t able to keep their momentum. “Newcastle is a top side, top players, top manager, so unfortunately tonight we could not make the momentum that we had,” he said. “It was an entertaining game… ultimately we couldn’t win.”
Guardiola revealed he’d shared a brief exchange with Bruno Guimarães but wouldn’t spill details. “I said how good he is, but that conversation is for private situations. Everything is fine.”
Despite the setback, he’s hoping the defeat will spark a reaction rather than derail their push. “Hopefully after today’s result we can kick on and go on a good run,” he said.
The loss leaves City chasing ground at the top end of the table, with pressure building ahead of a busy run of winter fixtures. A response next week will be crucial if they’re to stay in touch with the leaders.
