Sterlings penalty miss sparked questions as to why De Bruyne did not take the spot kick & Guardiola explained who is Citys number one.
Guardiola explains penalty change
Manchester City where able to pick up a valuable 3 points in their chase for the title this season at home to Brighton. After Phil Foden had put the Manchester club 1-0 up in the first half, the second half was spirited from the Seagulls and at times looked as if they might nick and equaliser but it was not to be.
City had a chance to put the game beyond all doubt towards the end when Kevin de Bruyne was brought down in the box and a penalty was awarded. The Belgian international is the typical taker for Manchester City, however it was Raheem Sterling that stepped up and he blazed the ball over the bar. Despite the miss, the Citizens went on to win and take all three points.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND NOVEMBER 11: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
After the match, Pep Guardiola explained why Sterling was the man to strike the penalty and not his typical taker.
I think Kevin was tired, but I love the personality of Raheem to try it, he said. Next time he will score.
Kevin is the taker but he was struggling in the last 10 minutes, exhausted. I like guys to take responsibility to take the penalty. It was Rash and next time it will be better.
Whilst the confidence in the England international is endearing, it would not be surprising to see De Bruyne step up when the next spot kick is awarded in Citys favour.
Foden steps up
The minutes for Phil Foden have not been as regular as the England international might like for Manchester City but when competing against the light of Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Ferran Torres and Raheem Sterling etc, it is understandable to see why.
However, the young 20-year old is one of the countrys most exciting prospects and many would like to see him play in the European Championships this upcoming summer. Guardiola was full of praise for the youngster after the match in which he scored the winner.
His standards are higher, that is why he deserves to play. I try to judge the team on the recent past and I had the feeling that he lives his life 24 hours to play football.
When asked about the prospect of Euro selection the Spaniard said, We cannot forget he played v Azpilicueta & he was outstanding. United, Wan-Bissaka, where everyone struggles, he played really well. Im sure he is going to be selected with me, with Gareth I dont know.
Whilst Foden may not always play, Guardiola will be ecstatic that all of his attacking options are making his decision of who to pick such a difficult choice.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United FC | 17 | 10 | 36 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 17 | 10 | 32 |
| 4 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 16 | 14 | 29 |
| 6 | Manchester City FC | 15 | 11 | 29 |
| 7 | Southampton FC | 17 | 7 | 29 |
| 8 | Aston Villa FC | 15 | 13 | 26 |
| 9 | Chelsea FC | 17 | 11 | 26 |
| 10 | West Ham United FC | 17 | 3 | 26 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 17 | 1 | 23 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 17 | -3 | 23 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 17 | -7 | 22 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 18 | -7 | 22 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 17 | -9 | 19 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 16 | -12 | 16 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 17 | -7 | 14 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 15 | -10 | 11 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 17 | -28 | 8 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 18 | -20 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 5 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
