City entered the Kenilworth Road match eager to break a four-game winless streak but faced a setback when Elijah Adebayo scored just before halftime, causing jubilation among home fans. Despite the Hatters’ upbeat mood, Guardiola appeared visibly upset, directing his anger towards fourth official Pawson. He was seen gesturing and even pushed one of his staff members trying to restrain him.
The second half saw City return with renewed determination, levelling the score in the 62nd minute through Bernardo Silva’s skilful strike. They surged ahead three minutes later with Jack Grealish converting Julian Alvarez’s pass, sealing a 2-1 victory as Luton failed to find an equalizer.
Guardiola didn’t disclose his conversation with Pawson but shared how he motivated his players after a lacklustre first half. He emphasized resilience, stating, “I said to them: ‘What do we want to do, feel sorry for ourselves? It is football, it is life, it happens.”
“Even if they score a second goal, what do you want to do, complain again and say we are unlucky?’”
“The big characters, the big teams like this one is, are defined in these situations. We can win 18 games in a row but that doesn’t define who you really are. You are defined now, in this moment, four games without winning and 1-0 in a tough stadium. They don’t need to prove to me what they are capable of because they are an extraordinary group but the competition demands you prove it again.”
City secured the win sans Erling Haaland, their star striker sidelined due to a foot injury from a prior match. Guardiola provided a positive update on Haaland’s recovery but couldn’t confirm his return date. Despite this setback, City sits fourth in the league, trailing leaders Liverpool by four points, benefiting from Arsenal’s recent defeat.
With just one more Premier League game before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup, City prepares for a home fixture against Crystal Palace on December 16th.
Manchester City performance and stats
Manchester City is currently 1st in the Champions League with 15 points.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 15 goals and conceding 5.
Manchester City will play the next match in Champions League against Crvena Zvezda on Wednesday 13th of December in Beograd. The prediction is Manchester City winning the match.