Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has detailed a warning issued by Pep Guardiola despite the Sky Blues’ thrilling 6-3 victory over Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. The Etihad played host to a true Boxing Day classic, with the Foxes mounting a second-half comeback before City put the game to bed.
Sterling’s individual resurgence continued on Sunday, with two more goals taking his Premier League total to seven this campaign.
The England winger has now scored in four of City’s last five league games after struggling to gain momentum at the start of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Aymeric Laporte were also amongst the goals as Guardiola’s side enjoyed a 4-0 lead by half time.
The visitors mounted a surprise comeback after the break, however, scoring three snappy goals of their own before the hosts finished off the tie in a 6-3 win.
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At the full-time whistle, City extended their lead at the top of the table to six points, with Chelsea facing Aston Villa later in the day.
And despite grafting to a precious victory on their hunt to regain the title, Sterling shared a worthy warning issued by Guardiola.
“The manager warned us at half-time,” claimed the 26-year-old.
“Leicester conceded four in the first half but every time they attacked, they created chances.
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“It’s disappointing. We just had to control the game. It was slick football. At 4-0 up you have to kill the game.
“Leicester have some really good players. They didn’t get disheartened and kept going. Credit to them.”
Another win takes City’s impressive Premier League run to nine in a row as Chelsea and Liverpool face growing pressure to keep up.
And while the Sky Blues could be a man light from January onwards due to the imminent departure of Ferran Torres, they have been given an extra boost by the upturn in form enjoyed by Sterling, dampening rumours that he will seek a new challenge when the transfer window swings open.
After a rollercoaster 90 minutes, part of which Guardiola predicted at half-time, the Catalan coach gave his own rundown of events after the final whistle.
“It was a Boxing Day game. It was a nice game to watch and three more points. We keep going,” he said.
“It was weird. Even at 4-0 in the first half, every time they had the ball they arrived in the final third delivering good passes.
“They moved a lot of players. They have a lot of quality. They are a master of counter-attacks.”
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