‘It’s not necessary’ - Pep Guardiola blasts Yerry Mina for treatment of Erling Haaland after Man City boss confronts both him and Conor Coady post-match
- Blues take the spoils at Goodison
- Norwegian striker on target again
- Catalan coach takes aim at Toffees
WHAT HAPPENED? The reigning Premier League champions took another sizeable step towards the successful defence of that crown when coming through a testing trip to Goodison Park. Ilkay Gundogan bagged a classy brace on Merseyside, while Haaland netted his 52nd goal of a remarkable campaign. Guardiola had plenty to smile about afterwards, but he was not happy at how Mina and fellow Toffees centre-half Conor Coady tried to deal with the obvious threat posed by Haaland – with the City boss taking to confronting the Everton defenders on the pitch at the final whistle.
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WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed by Sky Sports on why he had taken issue with Colombia international Mina, Guardiola said: “It's not necessary what he does on the pitch with the players. He knows exactly what he has done. He’s a good player, but defending like that it’s not necessary to do what he does.”
The Catalan went on to say as part of his post-match media duties: “I admire Coady. With Mina, it's not necessary. With everyone, it's not necessary what he does every single game. I told him.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: City had the last laugh in their meeting with Everton, as they collected a comfortable 3-0 win, and will remain top of the table at the end of the latest match week.
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WHAT NEXT? City have three more Premier League games to take in – against Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford – while they will also be facing Real Madrid and Manchester United in an ongoing bid to collect Champions League and FA Cup crowns as part of a treble quest.