Pep hands Sergio an early shot at smashing record
SERGIO AGUERO will be given the chance to become Manchester City’s record goalscorer when they face Wolves in the League Cup on Tuesday.
Aguero, 29, scored for the 177th time in his City career in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Burnley to equal the club record set in the 1930s by Eric Brook.
The Argentine, playing for the first time in three weeks after damaging ribs in a car accident in Amsterdam, was replaced in the 76th minute before he was able to claim the record.
However manager Pep Guardiola will name him in Tuesday’s squad even though the cup competition is usually a chance for the second string.
‘Sergio has not played for three weeks and it takes time to get that little bit of rhythm back. He needs to play minutes, he did it today and maybe on Tuesday again,’ said Guardiola.
‘It was so important today he equalled the record. When he breaks it, it’ll be something special in the history of the club.’
Aguero equalled the record with a disputed penalty. With the game at 0-0, Roger East pointed to the spot HISTORY: after Bernardo Silva fell theatrically following a challenge by goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Aguero sent his spot-kick into the bottom right-hand corner but the penalty award enfuriated Burnley manager Sean Dyche, who accused Silva of dishonouring the game.
He said: ‘For him to get that high off the floor when your hands are above your head is a skill in itself. If I kicked my kid in the garden he wouldn’t fall like that. ‘There has to be a bit of what I’d call honour in the game. That’s out of the window because it’s not there. There’s contact but you can’t fall as a 13-stone professional footballer. How can you fall when someone touches you that softly? ‘The contact was so minimal today, I don’t know how the referee could see it.’
Guardiola disputed the Burnley manager’s version and said: ‘I have seen it and it was a penalty.’