Pep Guardiola refused to discuss an angry bust-up between Kyle Walker and Brentford’s Neal Maupay after Manchester City’s 3-1 win in west London.
The England defender blew his top at something Maupay said to him in the closing stages and had to be calmed down by his manager.
City skipper Walker had been subjected to taunts about his personal life from the home fans throughout the match.
Guardiola had a long conversation with French striker Maupay after the final whistle but when quizzed about the incident afterwards, Guardiola simply snapped: “Next question!”
Buzzzinnnnn! What a night 🎩⚽️
So grateful 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/iuYg7jqI1e
— Phil Foden (@PhilFoden) February 5, 2024
Guardiola was happier talking about hat-trick hero Phil Foden after the victory in west London which, coupled with Arsenal’s win over Liverpool on Sunday, left City two points behind the Reds with a game in hand.
Brentford were the only team to beat City home and away last season, and the ‘three-peat’ looked on when Maupay fired them into the lead.
But Foden finally beat inspired Bees keeper Mark Flekken to haul City level before the interval.
The England midfielder headed them in front early in the second half from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross, and then completed a stylish treble to leave the visitors with their title destiny firmly in their own hands.
We keep going! +3 ✔️ Congrats on your hat-trick @PhilFoden 👊🏻🔥 pic.twitter.com/0vvSPfqGqb
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) February 5, 2024
“I said weeks ago that Phil is having his most influence on the team,” said Guardiola.
“He’s reading the game really well, how he can play simple and be more aggressive.
“He always has the pleasure to score goals and the threat when he is close to the 18-yard box. He is an exceptional player. A short age, already more than 250 games for City. That means the influence since he arrived.
“He loves to play football and still when you see players in the street when you are a little boy he still has this sense of amateur culture. He loves to play and this season he has been so important for us.
“In terms of how he moves in small spaces. I’ve seen many really good players but the impact from Phil when he gets the ball there, he can score.
“The feeling that he can shoot or make an assist, it’s difficult to find this combination to move in the pockets and after be like a knife and be so aggressive and score goals.”
The Bees went ahead in the 21st minute with a goal straight out of the Brentford playbook.
Flekken actually claimed the assist, punting his goal kick towards Ivan Toney, who backed into Nathan Ake, easing the defender out of the flight path while letting the ball bounce past.
Maupay was left free to race clean through, coolly finishing past Ederson for his fifth goal since the turn of the year.
“We know we have a strength there with Ivan,” said boss Thomas Frank.
“We don’t do it all the time but against a team that is pressing it can be effective. Credit to Mark, Ivan and Neal, they worked it out themselves.
“It was an OK team we were facing, I must say! A good performance from us. We do a lot of things right.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Chelsea v PSG before Chelsea Now Nuno Mendes VS Chelsea Andrea Berta on Fire Who !? After carrying the country for years, they finally picked Messi up PSG went 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 in the Club World Cup final Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, BleacherReportFootball)...
Ben Doak could leave Liverpool this summer if their £25m valuation is metNottingham Forest have joined the race for Ben Doak after registering their interest in the Liverpool teenager. Doak was a revelation on loan at Middlesbrough last season, scoring three goals and racking up seven assists in the Championship. And his performances have caught the attention of Forest, who have cash to burn ...
Manchester United could snap up Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig this summer.Manchester United are said to be in talks to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB LeipzigManchester United are reportedly in talks to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig this summer. The 22-year-old striker agreed terms with Arsenal earlier this summer, but the Gunners made a transfer U-turn after Leipzig’s asking price rose t...
Reports from Portugal suggest Viktor Gyokeres' long floated move from Sporting CP to Arsenal could be in danger of completely collapsing.Parties cannot align terms for add-ons in deal Initial fee of €70m + €10m of conditional agreed Long-running saga continues to drag onWHAT HAPPENED?A report by Portuguese newspaper Record, suggests the summer's longest-running transfer saga shows no s...
Ex-Liverpool star Oxlade-Chamberlain's Besiktas deal torn upEx-Arsenal and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal with Besiktas has been terminated, setting up the player's return to the Premier League.As per Yeni Safak, Besiktas have terminated Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal, as he was informed he would not be part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans going forward. The midfielder struggled with inj...
Cristhian Mosquera Arsenal 2025Cristhian Mosquera has said goodbye to his Valencia team-mates ahead of his move to Arsenal, and also spoke about his sadness in leaving Los Che.WHAT HAPPENED?The 21-year-old reported to Valencia's Paterna training ground along with his team-mates, but rather than participate in pre-season, he was there to say his goodbyes. Mosquera will be making the switch to north...
Manchester City FC v Manchester United FC - Premier LeagueA 20-year-old Manchester United fan has pleaded guilty to assaulting Jack Grealish by slapping the Manchester City star following April’s heated Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Alfie Holt admitted to the offence in court and has been banned from attending football matches for three years, while also receiving a fine for the incident...
AFC Ajax v Galatasaray A.S. - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8Jordan Henderson has opened up on his departure from Ajax after the Dutch club mutually agreed to terminate his contract, allowing the former Liverpool captain to return to the Premier League with Brentford. In a heartfelt message, Henderson reflected on his 'immense pride' in representing Ajax, thanking fans and teammates fo...
Corentin TolissoManchester United are reportedly looking to make a surprise move to sign France international Corentin Tolisso from Lyon, contacting the midfielder's entourage as they look to strengthen their squad this summer. Tolisso, who impressed in Ligue 1 last season, is reportedly open to joining the Premier League giants – but the Red Devils face competition from Atletico Madrid.WHAT...
Besiktas v Istanbul Basaksehir - Turkish Super LeagueEx-Arsenal and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal with Besiktas has been terminated, setting up the player's return to the Premier League. WHAT HAPPENED?As per Yeni Safak, Besiktas have terminated Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal, as he was informed he would not be part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans going forward. The midfielder struggled ...
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Fixture schedule, group standings, knockout round, tickets, format & everything you need to know
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Brooklyn Beckham's ex inspires Palmer as Chelsea crush PSG
- 4 Bayern ready to rival Arsenal for Eberechi Eze and target move for Chelsea flop after losing Jamal Musiala to injury
- 5 Spurs get huge lift in Morgan Gibbs-White row
- 6 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 7 Marcus Rashford trains alone after returning to Man Utd for pre-season despite being given extra time off by Ruben Amorim to find new club
- 8 DAZN sports host nearly suffers wardrobe malfunction at CWC
- 9 Everton sign Villarreal striker Barry: The fans here are like crazy people, I like this!
- 10 Bayern Munich lay out terms for Luis Diaz