Guardiola says win is for jailed Catalans

Pep Guardiola lavished praise on Manchester City as they extended their winning run to 10 games, before dedicating their impressive Champions League victory to the Catalan independence movement.

City were superb for 40 minutes and could have been even further in front after scoring twice inside the first 15 minutes through Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, but Napoli stretched their hosts in the second half.

Guardiola admitted his City side had tired, but remained adamant this was one the best performances of his time in Manchester because it came against a team he believes are one of the best on the continent.

“You cannot beat a team as good as Napoli unless you put in really good performance,” said Guardiola, who has been a vocal supporter of independence in Catalonia. “I really mean that. This is one of the proudest victories of my career, I am so, so proud of my players tonight. We knew it was going to be so, so tough.

“We had a good first half, we scored two goals. We could have scored the third or fourth. After that we were a bit tired, we couldn’t finish our counter-attacks and we arrived late for our pressing.

“They have the ability to make short passes inside and outside, that is why I’m proud. They are one of the best teams I have ever faced. I think it was an extraordinary game from both sides. We will see if we can play better for longer when we go to Naples in a fortnight.”

Given he scored his eighth goal of the season, Sterling’s form suggests he could become the first winger to score 20 goals in a domestic campaign since Gareth Bale, four years ago, during his final season at Tottenham Hotspur.

Not that his manager would not be drawn into setting public targets, adding: “I don’t count how many goals he has, what I worry about is trying to play better day after day, that’s all I want from Raz.”

Guardiola then offered his support to those imprisoned by the Spanish government following the independence referendum in his native Catalonia earlier this month.

“This win is dedicated to them,” Guardiola said. “We have shown in Catalonia that citizenship is bigger than any ideas. We hope they will be released soon.”