Pep Guardiola makes reference to Liverpool after last-min Man City win - 'Really happy'

Pep Guardiola shared his joy after Manchester City's victory over Aston Villa, while suggesting they followed in Liverpool's path by sealing their last-gasp win. Matheus Nunes' 94th-minute strike, set up by substitute Jeremy Doku, secured a crucial three points in the battle for a top-five spot.

The decisive goal put City in pole position for Champions League contention, ahead of Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Villa. Guardiola, who had been hoping to avoid defeat as the match entered its final stages, was jubilant as the injury-time goal strike went in.

City had initially taken the lead through Bernardo Silva, only for Marcus Rashford to equalise from the penalty spot. However, Nunes' winner sparked an ecstatic reaction from Guardiola.

In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola offered a dose of reality, reminding his team that the elation of this moment does not compensate for what has been a subpar season.

"We are not used to it!", Guardiola exclaimed. "The last minute win belongs to Liverpool. We are not used to it so I am really happy. We are in the last four games, we know Champions League contenders like Aston Villa, they are one of the top teams in Europe.

"We played very good. Aggressive in our duels and back four were unbelievable. Really pleased.

"Football is emotion. The last two games were so difficult so we are really pleased. I was so happy. I have to admit it! Try to not lose as 1-1 was not a bad result but the action from Jeremy [Doku] was so good.

"The team fought a lot. The performance was really good. It is a fantastic team. The season has been bad. It doesn't matter about the final or if we finish in Champions League.

"What makes you feel good is the Premier League. It happened and sometimes you have bad seasons. Liverpool will be champions and the level of teams is outstanding."

Meanwhile, Ruben Dias stressed that securing a spot in the Champions League is of more significance than FA Cup glory.

Dias remarked: "They are on the run to the top five with us. Special game to get three points. Four games to go and all of them will be massively important. We keep on going.

"We know how tight it is and how tight it will be until the end. I can't quantify how important today was.

"This means everything to us. We know exactly what circumstances we are in, top four or five means everything. This is our main trophy. We have the FA Cup and Club World Cup but this is everything to us."