Former Man United defender surprised by what Pep Guardiola did on the faces of Liverpool players
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, now a pundit for BT Sport, expressed surprise at Kostas Tsimikas’ lack of reaction to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s taunting celebration in the faces of Liverpool players during their recent Premier League match.
Ferdinand surprised at Tsimikas’ indifference to wild celebrations from Pep
Guardiola was seen celebrating wildly in front of Tsimikas and sarcastically shaking hands with Reds loanee Arthur Melo after his team equalized.
Ferdinand questioned how Tsimikas didn’t push Guardiola out of the way, but noted that the Liverpool player seemed happy nonetheless.
Speaking on commentary for BT Sport, the former Manchester United defender claimed,
“That celebration there, I don’t know how Tsimikas hasn’t pushed the opposing manager, Pep Guardiola, out of the way, But he seems happy.”
Guardiola’s touchline theatrics against Liverpool are nothing new, as he has been known to celebrate excessively during matches with the Reds.
If a manager like Jurgen Klopp were to do the same, there would be an uproar among opposition fans, but Guardiola seems to get a pass.
However, it was still strange to see Guardiola celebrate like he had just won the Champions League, particularly since the match was not yet decided.
Liverpool left in the dust by City’s clinical finishes
Julian Alvarez swooped in to nab the equalizer for Manchester City from Jack Grealish’s cross, and City capitalized on their momentum with clinical finishes. With three more goals, City humiliated Liverpool securing a 4-1 victory.
The Sky Blues caught their visitors cold at the start of the second half and further close-range finishes from De Bruyne and Gundogan gave them breathing space. De Bruyne then teed up Grealish 16 minutes from time for the England international to crown a magnificent display.
City dominated possession and they were happy to just knock it around in front of Liverpool after the fourth goal was scored. At Klopp’s insistence, his team started to press only to give City more opportunities to make progress towards their goal.
Liverpool looked out of ideas on how to break up City’s play. The Reds were left floundering in the wake of City’s rapid-fire counterattacks, unable to keep up with the pace. To add insult to injury, City’s offensive maneuver made a mockery of Liverpool’s defence.
Liverpool have lost 8 Premier League away games this season-it’s their most in a single season since 2014-15(also 8) and as many as they’d lost on the road in their three previous campaigns combined.
Guardiola’s win against Klopp marked the tenth time he has beaten the Liverpool manager in his career.
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