HOORAY! PREMIER LEAGUE

A win at Huddersfield thanks to a penalty and a fluke has Guardiola celebrating like never before

IT was the full Pep press, a masterclass of closing down in a micro-second.

No-one was given a moment, everyone was getting a Guardiola hug in the space of a few, wild, celebratory minutes.

As a manager, he has won three La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, two Champions Leagues, three Bundesliga titles, two German Cups, three Club World Cups and a whole lot of other stuff but he has rarely rejoiced like he rejoiced when he beat Huddersfield Town away.

By the narrowest of margins, with a penalty and a flukey winner.

In Guardiola’s eyes, this meant more than wiping the floor with Watford, stuffing Stoke City, crushing Crystal Palace or leathering Liverpool. In his eyes, this showed they had cojones.

The cojones to keep playing the way he wants them to play even when the unlikeliest adversity confronts them.

As exhausting a defensive effort as it was, Huddersfield’s performance did not render the result unfortunate.

Manchester City’s relentless forward drive almost made the winner inevitable after Sergio Aguero’s early second-half penalty had cancelled out Nicolas Otamendi’s late first-half own goal. When Gabriel Jesus replaced Vincent Kompany with over 15 minutes remaining, Guardiola, essentially, went to none at the back. A favourite of his.

Had Huddersfield collected a point, that would have been more freakish than

Raheem Sterling’s clincher, gently ballooning in after it was knocked against him by Jonas Lossl’s save from Jesus. Sterling, though, had started the move, was then on the spot, in the right area, a result of his perpetual but intelligent motion.

Already surpassing his highest goal numbers for the season, that’s now 12, his improvement under Guardiola is as plain as the disparity in wealth between these two clubs. It was Sterling who won the penalty that brought equality, darting inside and drawing a tug from Scott Malone as he dashed on to David Silva’s one millionth career reverse pass.

Aguero obliged from 12 yards (left) and after that, as it had been for much of the time that preceded, the game was always going to be played in Huddersfield’s half.

Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph were extra wingers, Otamendi moved into midfield, trying to creatively atone for watching a rare Huddersfield corner glance off Christopher Schindler’s head and then allowing it to get the John Smith’s Stadium jumping by inadvertently chesting it past Ederson.

As Rajiv van La Parra was getting sent off, post-final whistle, after a clash with Leroy Sane, whose performance featured a crossbar-crashing free-kick, Guardiola probably didn’t even notice.

He had his head buried in Mikel Arteta’s shoulder for the first of those hugs.

Guardiola talked about how he knew his team would have to ‘live the situation’ they found themselves in after 45 minutes if they wanted to win the Premier League title. That is what he told them at half-time.

And his reaction to their reaction showed he believes this type of result is why they WILL win the title.