Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained his bizarre celebration has raised eyebrows on social media following his 4-1 home win over Liverpool.
Cityzens went 1-0 up after Mohamed Salah's opening goal but quickly found an equalizer from Julian Alvarez before half-time. Second-half efforts by Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan and Jack Grealish resulted in victory, but it was the equalizer that sparked the aforementioned celebrations.
Guardiola was caught looking up at the sky in a spirited celebration before Liverpool substitutes Joel Matip, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Arthur Melo passed after their respective warm-ups.
However, there was a clear exchange of words between the Man City boss and Tsimikas before the Spaniard shook Melo's hand, confusing viewers. In his post-match press conference, Guardiola explained the interaction, telling a reporter:
"I'm happy and say how beautiful our goal was.
“Ask him [Tsimikas] if I'm being disrespectful. I celebrated with my son and after saying it was a beautiful goal. Do you think that is disrespectful? to which the journalist replied:
"Correct." "I'm sorry," Guardiola replied.
The celebration also prompted BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand to question the Manchester City manager's actions, the former Manchester United defender saying:
"I don't know how Tsimikas didn't sack opposition manager Pep Guardiola. But he [Guardiola] seems happy. He could see it was a great, well-coordinated goal from Manchester City and he couldn't contain himself."
The win helps City close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points ahead of the Gunners' home game against Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, with Guardiola's men now having 10 league matches. National Championship when the race for the title nears its climax.
Read More
Crystal Palace have extended the contracts of Ghanaian players Jeffrey Schlupp and Jordan Ayew, according to The Athletic. Both players are expected to end their current contracts in June 2023.
Schlupp has been an integral part of the Crystal Palace team since 2017, after he left Leicester City. On the other hand, Ayew initially joined the Eagles on loan from Swansea City in 2018/19 and moved on permanently the following season.
Schlupp's current contract with a one-year extension option has been exercised. The versatility of this duo is invaluable to the Selhurst Park team.
Jordan Ayew has appeared in 28 Premier League games for Crystal Palace, scoring once and assisting once. Meanwhile, Schlupp played one game less and scored two goals.
While Jordan Ayew played for the Black Stars in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations doubles qualifier against Angola, Schlupp did not represent Ghana for almost two years.
blogpay
