“At the end we have to do it”- Pep Guardiola reveals what he told Man City players after Arsenal’s draw against Sunderland

Pep Guardiola has challenged his Manchester City players to ignore Arsenal’s recent slip-up against Sunderland and instead focus on making a statement by defeating reigning champions Liverpool.

City responded in dominant fashion, with goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez, and Jeremy Doku sealing a convincing victory — a fitting way for Guardiola to mark the 1,000th game of his managerial career.

Earlier in the day, Arsenal’s winning streak had come to an end after Bryan Brobbey’s dramatic injury-time equaliser earned Sunderland a valuable point at the Stadium of Light. Despite that result potentially narrowing the title race, Guardiola was adamant that his side’s focus had to remain on their own performance rather than the league standings.

In his post-match press conference, Guardiola explained:

“When Sunderland equalised against Arsenal, I’m sure both Liverpool and we thought, ‘Wow, they finally dropped points.’ But I told my players not to play just because Arsenal didn’t win — do it because you believe in yourselves. We’re playing against the champions of England, and we need to prove we can stay with them all season. I think we showed that today, especially in the first half.”

Reflecting on the milestone of reaching 1,000 games as a coach, Guardiola said his team had given him “a perfect gift” with such an outstanding performance.

“We performed at a really high level. Defensively, we were excellent — we know Liverpool’s danger through Mo [Salah] and the quality of Szoboszlai and Wirtz. The full-backs were brilliant, our midfield controlled the game, and Jeremy [Doku] and Erling [Haaland] were a real threat.

“Gigi [Donnarumma] made the saves he needed to, and the energy from our fans made the difference. Winning like this before the international break is perfect.”

Guardiola concluded by saying he planned to celebrate the occasion quietly: