Guardiola unhappy as City keep pace with Liverpool in Huddersfield win

The Blues continue to put pressure on Klopp’s side with just a four-point gap between both the teams

HUDDERSFIELD: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was far from satisfied despite a 3-0 win away to Huddersfield Town on Sunday that saw his side cut Liverpool's lead at the top of the Premier League table to four points.

Liverpool's compelling 4-3 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday heaped huge pressure back onto reigning champions City but they were rarely troubled by a Town side that look a certain bet for relegation this season.

City's first goal, a deflected strike for Danilo in the 18th minute, brought up their 100th goal of the season in all competitions before Raheem Sterling scored a diving header from Leroy Sane's cross in the 54th minute and Sane himself made it 3-0 with a calm finish just two minutes later.

For Guardiola, it should have been an afternoon of enjoyment as his side again proved their willingness to push Liverpool all the way this season.

The City manager, however, has forged a footballing reputation based on sublime performances as well as ruthless goalscoring and, on that basis, his team's showing in West Yorkshire was not a success as the visitors never really clicked into gear on a day against a Huddersfield side who had parted company with manager David Wagner on Monday.



"During the season you have these kind of games," Guardiola said. "It is important to win. We have scored many goals in all competitions.

"(But) the way we played, we didn't deserve more than three goals. We will improve in the future.

"We have to demand more from ourselves in every game and do our best, but sometimes it's difficult.

"Today we are happy we have won but after immediately we have to analyse. During the season you have games when maybe you are not in the top level and it is important to win these games."

Although City's fans were happier than their manager following this result, Guardiola could at least take some heart from the fact his side again refused to blink first in the race for the title.

For the second consecutive week, City kicked off knowing Liverpool had already won their weekend fixture and that, consequently, the onus was back on his players to secure three points as well.

Once again, Guardiola's side managed to do that following up the 3-0 victory over Wolves with this showing and the City manager was more than happy to remind everybody that silverware is not handed out for another four months.

"One team has been better but we're in January and there's many more games to play," he added.

"You don't win or lose the Premier League in January. We have to focus on what we have to do. If Liverpool win, we have to win. And if Liverpool lose then we also have to win."

This match was a baptism of fire for Huddersfield's caretaker boss Mark Hudson and while the Terriers showed impressive fight to inspire some hope this season, this defeat still left them 10 points adrift of safety.

If, as expected, the Borussia Dortmund Under-23 coach Jan Siewert is appointed as Wagner's permanent replacement, nobody would blame him if he spent his first day in the job preparing for a return to the second-tier Championship next season.

"It's been a long week," admitted Hudson.

Winks strikes late to hand Spurs vital victory

Harry Winks headed home a 93rd minute winner to give Tottenham's chances of securing a top-four Premier League finish a huge boost and deal another blow to Fulham's hopes of survival with a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage.



Tottenham looked set to fail their first test without the injured Harry Kane as his deputy Fernando Llorente made an unwanted impact at the other end with an own goal to hand Fulham an early lead.

Dele Alli levelled six minutes into the second-half, but later hobbled off having appeared to pull his hamstring in another devastating injury blow to Spurs' challenge on four fronts.

However, after Winks burst into the box to meet substitute Georges-Kevin N'Koudou's cross with virtually the last touch of the game, Spurs tightened their grip on third. They have the cushion of a seven-point advantage over fifth-placed Arsenal and Manchester United in the race for a top-four finish.

Fulham on the other hand are seven points off safety and look set to return to the Championship after just one season back in the top flight.

After splashing over £100 million in transfer fees to little success in the summer, Fulham added Dutch international Ryan Babel till to the end of the season from Besiktas on Tuesday.

The former Liverpool winger's pace and strength made an instant impact against an unsettled Spurs defence as Pochettino switched to a back three.

Babel brushed aside Davinson Sanchez for the first big chance of a bitterly cold afternoon by the Thames, but Hugo Lloris made the first of a series of fine saves to bail out the visitors.

Fulham's bright start was rewarded 17 minutes in, courtesy of a stray Tottenham leg, as Llorente, starting for the first time in the league this season in Kane's absence, miscued a Jean Michael Serri corner into his own net.

Spurs dominated possession, but shorn of Kane and Son Heung-min in attack were going largely nowhere with it and Fulham will live to regret not making more of chances to extend a slender lead before the break.

Babel headed over from close range before Lloris produced an incredible stop to parry Andre Schurrle's volley.

Aleksandar Mitrovic headed home the rebound, but the offside flag was raised against the Serbian striker.

As so often this season, those wasted opportunities allied to some slack defending cost Claudio Ranieri's men.

Spurs were level soon after the break as Christian Eriksen's dinked cross to the back post picked out Alli to power home a header.

With Fulham no longer able to sit back and counter, the game swung from end to end. Lloris again did well to clear a dangerous through ball ahead of Mitrovic, while a desperate block from Maxime Le Marchand denied Eriksen.

Spurs enjoyed more control of the final quarter and came close when left-back Danny Rose cut inside and saw his shot crash against the crossbar via a deflection off Denis Odoi.

A devastated Alli then limped off to make way for N'Koudou and looks certain to at least miss Thursday's League Cup semi-final, second leg away to Chelsea.

However, the French substitute was to have a telling impact when his wicked swinging cross was met by Winks' run and header at the back post.