“Leave them alive” – Pep Guardiola opens up on regret following Liverpool draw

Pep Guardiola laments letting Liverpool off the hook last night

Speaking after the Liverpool – Manchester City clash as quoted by Daily Mail, Pep Guardiola has claimed that Manchester City have left Liverpool alive in the Premier League and laments the fact that they did not kill the game.

City took on the Reds in a potential title decider in the Premier League last night. Billed as one of the most exciting clashes this season and it did not disappoint. The two teams drew 2-2 on the night with Sadio Mane and Diego Jota scoring for the Reds and Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne netting for the Cityzens.

Both teams were separated by a solitary point going into the high octane clash and neither side gained or lost ground after last night. The Reds would have been hoping to beat Pep’s team and gain an advantage in the title race, but that was not the case.

Manchester City meanwhile will look at it as a chance missed to extend their lead to 4 points and find themselves in a tricky uncomfortable position with the Reds breathing down their neck.

Speaking about the game, Guardiola looked at it as a chance missed and rued giving Liverpool an advantage. With seven games left to go, the margin for error is very less for either team.

“I had the feeling we missed an opportunity today. I have a feeling that we leave them alive. But I said to the team afterwards to keep their heads up – I don’t want any sadness for one second.”

Every game a final?

Liverpool do not have their title fortunes in their own hands now and will now have to depend on Man City dropping points if they are to win the Premier League this season.

Guardiola does not expect the Reds to drop points until the end of the season. However, Liverpool cannot afford to get complacent and will need to do their part to even stay in the hunt.

City are one of the best teams in the world and are unlikely to drop points if any in their remaining games. Their slender lead, although not impossible to overcome is a tough proposition for Liverpool.

The first thing that Liverpool have to ensure is to try and win whatever games are left. Then, they’ll have to hope for the Manchester-based club to drop points which is easier said than done.

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The Reds are in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple and had a chance to strengthen their bid by overcoming Man City last night. The task has gotten tougher for Liverpool but as Klopp and his men have shown in the past, they often rise to meet it head-on.

Come what may, there is little doubt that Man City are Liverpool are among the two best teams in the land. Sunday’s result was a testament to that.