Despite Erling Haaland’s continued absence, Manchester City displayed dominance, securing a 2-0 win over Sheffield United.
Rodri opened the scoring early, followed by Julian Alvarez’s fourth goal in three games, sealing the points.
City’s victory propelled them level on points with Arsenal at 40, trailing Aston Villa and Liverpool by a mere two points, with the latter set to face Newcastle on Monday.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, speaking to BBC Match of the Day, shared his thoughts on the game and Manchester City’s overall performance:
“Really good – we played the game we should play. It’s not easy to attack this defense so deep. It’s compact, and we had to make crosses, but without Erling [Haaland], that’s difficult. We had to find the small spaces. They moved really well, and we played a solid game. The second half was better than the first, and it was important to go into the New Year with a good result.
“Sometimes you need time, especially when they defend so deep; it’s difficult. We had to be patient because they didn’t want to push or press, so you have to be calm and do it in the right moment. We had the momentum, and we did really well.”