Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was furious after striker Erling Haaland let captain Ilkay Gundogan take a penalty against Leeds on Saturday, only for the German midfielder to miss the spot-kick.
Gundogan scored twice for City in the first half to give the champions a comfortable lead against Leeds at the Etihad and when Guardiola’s side won a penalty with six minutes remaining, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder stepped up to take it.
Grow your business with us
However, the 32-year-old was unable to complete his hat-trick as he fired his effort against the post and on the sidelines, Guardiola was clearly indignant.
The Catalan could be seen mouthing to Haaland ‘you have to take it’ and moments later, things got worse for City as Leeds pulled a goal back through Rodrigo to set up a nervy finale.
Gundogan was then substituted and Guardiola did not even look at the midfielder as he left the pitch.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich is well known for his attention to detail and with City looking to edge out Arsenal in the Premier League title race, he was clearly not happy that his players allowed sentiment to get in the way.
City did win it 2-1 in the end, but Guardiola will no doubt have words with his players after the match to ensure there is no repeat of the incident, which could have cost his side two valuable points.
About The Author