Pep Guardiola commended Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega, even though they were involved in Manchester City’s failure to maintain a two-goal advantage. Phil Foden gave the Blues a 2-0 lead at Brentford, looking set for their fourth consecutive victory across all competitions, but a late setback resulted in them dropping two points. Yoane Wissa was unexpectedly unattended in the six-yard box, allowing the Bees to score and get back into the match. Later, Christian Norgaard headed in a goal during injury time after finding himself with too much room in the box. The City players were devastated when the final whistle blew, and Guardiola seemed to be giving Gvardiol a talk as he entered the pitch after the match, also having a discussion with Ortega. However, when questioned about the incident after the game, he highlighted their performance, saying, “He played really well.” “Guardiola praised Gvardiol, saying he had an amazing game.” “We discussed one action, but it’s similar with Ortega. I mentioned how well he played, how effectively he passed to Erling, and how happy I am with these two players in particular.” Guardiola mentioned that his players were disappointed about losing a two-goal advantage but attributed it to the defensive absences, with Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Rodri all missing. Ilkay Gundogan was substituted in for Mateo Kovacic during the final portion of the match, but neither player offers a strong aerial threat in the box. “They placed many players there.” “We weren’t close because we were exhausted, and then Norgaard showed up,” Guardiola stated.
