“We have a problem, we are very tired”Pep Guardiola had said the day before, who decided to preserve figures like Rodri, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, among others, thinking about the rematch with Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. But of course, his replacement is Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, for example…
It was not a City exhibition, at least until the last minutes, but He fulfilled his role perfectly: he besieged, dominated, cornered and thrashed poor Luton.
The first arrived very quickly, thanks to a carom, but wanted by Erling Haaland, who in a second play derived from his own attack, took a volley that hit Daiki Hashioka’s face and went into the goal to make it 1-0 one minute into the game. This start made it seem like they were going to go into the break with a large lead, however, that was not the case. City generated a lot. Thomas Kaminski was partly responsible for the visitor staying alive longer, but the local team also failed a lot to define.
Nevertheless, the attrition game that a team like Guardiola’s usually and can play against lesser rivals, because the bank he has allows it, it worked and after the hour mark, Luton gave way and collapsed.
At 64 minutes, Julián Álvarez took a short shot from the corner to play the wall with Jeremy Doku and touched back, where the Mateo Kovacic From the crescent he launched a bomb that was impossible to stop for Thomas Kaminski and make it 2-0.
The third was for Haaland “takes the piss out” with a penalty. And the last two, two little gems: the full-court play with great finish inside the Doku area. And the right-wing bomb If Guardiol to the angle to close figures.
The only spot that was covered by the 5-1 score was the goal that City gave up: at 81, a bad start from the bottom, the loss of Matheus Nunes to Ross Barkley. It was 3-1. The victory was never in danger, but given how tight the fight for the title is and that The goal difference can define the champion, it is a mistake that Guardiola’s team should not allow.
Once the match date 32 is over, Manchester City sleeps at the top of the Premier League with two points ahead and, with their duties fulfilled, they can now focus fully on Real Madrid.