Man City star asks fans to appreciate Liverpool’s effort despite title loss

Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan asks fans to credit Liverpool for Premier League title effort despite heartbreak

Ilkay Gundogan started and finished Manchester City’s comeback against Aston Villa yesterday, which came as a dagger to the heart of every Liverpool fan around the globe.

The Villans were two goals up by the 69th minute. But the German midfielder, who was coached by Jurgen Klopp during his time at Borussia Dortmund, scored in the 76th and 81st minutes of the game.

Rodri’s goal was sandwiched in between Gundogan’s strikes, which meant that Mohamed Salah’s goal against Wolves came a couple of minutes after the comeback was achieved at the Etihad.

Speaking to Sky Sports (h/t Liverpool Echo) after the game, Gundogan acknowledged that the Reds have made the PL ‘attractive’ due to the competition they have provided, and urged people to appreciate their efforts. The Reds lost the league title by one point for the second time in four seasons.

“If Liverpool would not be there and play the way they do, I don’t think the league could be that attractive. They played an incredible season and we pushed each other to the limit. Even though it’s a sad day for them, we need to appreciate what they’ve done. We’re looking forward to competing with them again next season.”

Gundogan’s comments are indeed true. Without the Reds, the league would be in danger of becoming a one-horse race which is something neutrals would be wise to understand. Chelsea have not once looked like title challengers this calendar year while Manchester United have settled for a top-four finish to be a measure of their success.

Fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur took points off the Reds as well as the Cityzens this campaign but clearly lacked the quality and consistency to come close to the top two places. Amidst this, Klopp’s Redmen have kept City humble.

Their tally of 92 points this season was more than any Manchester United side ever managed under Sir Alex Ferguson once the league was reduced from 42 to 38 games. Gundogan has often been one of City’s best players and his contributions yesterday write him into his club’s folklore.

More Liverpool News

• Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool already have enough reasons to arrange a victory parade
• Steven Gerrard tells Liverpool fans that Aston Villa will give everything to win against Manchester City
• Transfer News: Liverpool still want Torino defender Gleison Bremer amidst heavy interest from elsewhere

The Reds were one of the clubs interested in Gundogan just a couple of months after Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers. Had we managed to sign him during that period, then the landscape of English football could have been different with regards to what went down yesterday.