AliousKyle Walker expressed his anxiety before facing his old team Tottenham, feeling a sense of relief after his team’s 2-0 victory brought them closer to winning the Premier League title once again.
Erling Haaland’s two goals contributed to an intriguing evening at Tottenham, with some home supporters feeling content with their team’s defeat, as it diminished Arsenal’s chances of claiming the title from City.
Haaland’s goal in the 51st minute, followed by a penalty in the final moments—just after backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega’s remarkable save from Son Heung-min—propelled City to the league’s summit at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, setting the stage for their concluding match against West Ham on Sunday.
Arsenal, trailing City by two points with 86 points and a better goal difference, needed City to lose points to control their own destiny this weekend.
However, Guardiola’s team is now on the brink of securing another championship.
Walker shared, “I was restless last night, and the relief was indescribable when we scored the second goal.
The emotional stakes were high, but the team accomplished what was necessary.
We’re one step closer. We take it one game at a time. Tonight’s task is done, but we’re aware of how quickly things can change.
We’ll prepare and recuperate, and the West Ham match is yet another final where we hope to create history for this distinguished club. The job is far from finished.
We hope for a victory. If I didn’t thrive under pressure, I wouldn’t belong in this job or team. It was an atypical match, but we’re competitors.
Spurs had the chance to secure a Champions League spot, and it was evident they gave their all to win.”
City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, acknowledged that the high-stakes nature of the match affected their performance, yet he praised their determination to secure the win.
“The match was incredibly challenging. We anticipated this. They play with immense pride and intensity, making them tough opponents,” Guardiola remarked.
“If Spurs maintain their current management, they have a promising future. We’ve secured the opportunity to decide our fate in the final game.
As tennis players say, ‘serving to win Wimbledon’ is the toughest. We’re aware of the stakes.
The pressure is present, and the opponent is formidable. That’s what makes it challenging.
The crowd’s energy adds to the difficulty.
These matches are tougher, but we must prevail. We’ll take a day off, then two days to prepare, and give it our all.”
On the other hand, Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, voiced his concerns about the impression that Tottenham fans were pleased with their loss, suggesting that preventing Arsenal from winning the league seemed more crucial than their own goals.
“The past two days have exposed some vulnerabilities. This applies to all aspects, both within and outside the club,” Postecoglou observed. “It’s been a revealing experience.
These are merely my observations. I won’t elaborate further. You can draw your own conclusions from what transpired.
Clearly, I’ve misjudged what’s vital in our pursuit of becoming a victorious team. It was a close contest, and we failed to seize crucial opportunities while they did.
I believed we were competitive throughout, even at 1-0, we had a solid chance to equalize.
As we pursued the game in the second half, they found more openings, but we were competitive until the second goal.
We’ll evaluate the season after one more match against Sheffield United, which we must win.
Ultimately, your final standing accurately reflects your performance.”
Alious
