Van Dijk & Co rea dy fo r scr ap F I G H T CLUB But Pep’s up to battle

PEP GUARDIOLA was beaming last night after gutsy Manchester City cranked up the title heat on Liverpool.

City sub Riyad Mahrez secured a hard-fought win at Bournemouth to put the champions back on the top of the table. Quadruple-chasing City are now two points clear, having played a game more than Jurgen Klopp’s side, who must beat Everton today to stay in control of the scrap for Premier League glory. Guardiola could not stop grinning afterwards. He said: “I am so happy. No matter what happens now, the players deserve my respect and admiration. We never give up. “We gave one of our best performances today. We created few chances but people should understand how difficult it is to attack 11 players in the box. HARRY PRATT Bournemouth 0 Man City 1

Thanks to my players – because they’re absolutely incredible! They always fight, run and chase for everything.”

The only concern for Guardiola was the loss of Kevin De Bruyne in the first half. The Belgium maestro appeared to pull a hamstring and he trudged off to be replaced by City scorer Mahrez.

Guardiola added: “We’ll know more tomorrow. Hopefully, it won’t be too long. But it doesn’t matter because we have enough quality.

“We demand a lot of the players, without giving them time to rest. They play a game every three days. That’s why they’re fantastic and why today was so special.” FISTS OF FURY: Pep Guardiola celebrates at the final whistle