- The City manager admitted fixture congestion and fatigue played a major role in his squad selection
- According to Guardiola, he trusted every player in the squad and believed fresh legs were necessary
- Despite trailing Arsenal F.C. by two points with two matches left
Pep Guardiola praised the energy and mentality of his Manchester City F.C. side after a heavily rotated team secured an impressive 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace F.C. to keep their Premier League title hopes alive.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Guardiola made six changes to the team that defeated Brentford F.C. at the weekend, resting several key players ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea F.C. at Wembley.
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The City manager admitted fixture congestion and fatigue played a major role in his squad selection, especially with Chelsea enjoying more preparation time before the final.
According to Guardiola, he trusted every player in the squad and believed fresh legs were necessary against a dangerous Palace side.
He singled out Savinho for special praise after the winger delivered an outstanding display and capped the night with City’s third goal.
Guardiola also commended the overall performance of his side, noting that scoring six goals across victories against Brentford and Palace reflected the team’s strong form heading into the season’s decisive stage.
The Spaniard described reaching another FA Cup final as a privilege and expressed hope that City could finally enjoy success at Wembley after falling short in recent appearances.
Despite trailing Arsenal F.C. by two points with two matches left, Guardiola insisted the title race remains open.
He acknowledged the difficulty of upcoming fixtures against AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa F.C., but maintained that City would continue fighting until the final day.
At the Etihad Stadium, City controlled the contest from the opening stages and took the lead in the 32nd minute through Antoine Semenyo after a clever assist from Phil Foden.
Foden was again involved in City’s second goal eight minutes later when his pass found Omar Marmoush, who calmly doubled the advantage.
Late in the game, Rayan Cherki surged forward from midfield before setting up Savinho to complete the victory.
The win lifted City to 77 points, just two behind Arsenal, while Guardiola’s side now boast a superior goal difference and remain unbeaten in their last 14 league matches.
Speaking after the game, Foden stressed that every member of the squad had contributed to keeping City in the title race.
He said the team’s objective is to keep applying pressure on Arsenal and remain prepared for any twists before the season concludes.
Meanwhile, Palace boss Oliver Glasner is now expected to shift focus toward the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano later this month.
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