Pep Guardiola criticised the defensive mistake that allowed Crystal Palace a late equaliser against Manchester City that may kill any lingering hope of a successful title defence.
Two Sergio Agüero strikes on 82 and 87 minutes appeared to have overturned Cenk Tosun’s first-half opener. But in added time Wilfried Zaha burst into the City area and though John Stones tried to stop him the forward was still able to hit a cross at Fernandinho that deflected past Ederson to make it 2-2.
Guardiola said: “The second goal is a mistake and we have to avoid it. It is just not possible Zaha can run and we allow it.” Asked to elaborate he said: “It was a decision. It was a wrong decision and we are going to solve it and improve it. In this situation we cannot let them run in this counterattack.”
Liverpool can pull 16 points ahead of City if Manchester United are defeated on Sunday at Anfield. Guardiola stonewalled when asked about his team’s championship defence. “I answer the questions millions of times already,” he said. “Maybe I will watch [the game]. Maybe I will see Sheffield United, I don’t know,” referring to doing some homework on City’s opponents this Tuesday.
“We tried to do everything, how many cross and arrive there. We arrive few. The spirit was there. We tried and we tried. It was a pity at the end to drop two points in this way but that is football and we have to learn from these situations. It was a tight game and unfortunately we could not win it.”
Guardiola was asked about the City penalty overruled by VAR after the ball hit Jairo Riedewald’s hand after his boot. “It looks like hands but …” said the manager.
Stones appeared to hurt his knee. “I didn’t speak with the doctors,” said Guardiola. “We are going to have to see.”
Roy Hodgson said: “It would have been cruel to have lost it. We held out well and our defence was still strong until the equaliser in the 82nd minute. It came after such a fine piece of play, the cross and movement from Agüero. You have to hold you hands up and say I just don’t know what would have been possible to stop that. It was wonderful to see the lads not give up and accept what would have been their fate and get an equaliser. I am happier with 2-2 than 1-1.”
Tosun’s opener came in the on-loan Everton striker’s full league debut for Palace. “The credit for Cenk Tosun should go to Doug Freedman,” Hodgson said of the director of football. “Cenk was scouted two years ago in the January transfer window and Doug Freedman had watched him a lot of times for Besiktas and was of the opinion he would be a good player for Palace.”