Guardiola keeps his bottle over Ra bust-up
MANCHESTER CITY boss Pep Guardiola refused to get drawn into a bottle-throwing incident involving substitute Raheem Sterling.
The England and City star, targeted throughout with verbal abuse, was warming up alongside the pitch in the 65th-minute of the goalless draw at Huddersfield.
And when a plastic drinks bottle was hurled at Sterling from the home crowd he looked up in surprise as it landed with a thump on the pitch behind him.
Fellow sub Leroy Sane stared at the section of the crowd where the abuser sat and Bacary Sagna was another witness to the incident.
No stewards intervened, though, and no action was taken to single out the bottle thrower.
City boss Pep Guardiola refused to comment after the game when the matter was drawn to his attention.
The Spaniard said: “I prefer not to say anything. I don’t want to be banned. I prefer to be quiet.”
It was an incident that Huddersfield will want to forget on a day when great memories of a terrific display against Premier League big guns City were made.
Guardiola knew he had been in one hell of a battle and said: “I wasn’t surprised. We had our chances in the first half and we played better in the second but didn’t create chances. “It was a cup game and we have another chance in two weeks at home and we will try and qualify for the next round. I expected the game we played. “This will be the first domestic cup replay I’m involved in.”
Town boss David Wagner (above) said: “If you ask me did we have some chances, yes we had two or three.
“I’m very proud and I’m very happy.
“I believe we can go to Manchester and perform again and show our identity again.
“I have no idea if we will win it but I believe we can show a good performance.
“We are still in the competition which is great.
“And we are very happy to have another match against a very good team.
“A clean sheet against Manchester City makes our chests bigger.”