We played well but lost: Pep Guardiola
City manager denies lashing out at his players after defeat by Spurs
Pep Guardiola insisted that his team played well, despite media reports that he locked them in the dressing room for just under an hour after the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur yesterday morning (Singapore time).
City wasted numerous chances, missed a penalty and had Oleksandr Zinchenko sent off in the English Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
This is City's second straight defeat, after last week's League Cup semi-final, second-leg loss to Manchester United .
The Citizens had 18 attempts on goal compared to Tottenham's three, but the hosts took the lead in the 63rd minute when debutant Steven Bergwijn volleyed home Jose Mourinho's side's first attempt on target.
Son Heung Min scored with Spurs' second shot on target eight minutes later.
Despite playing the last 30 minutes with 10 men after Zinchenko's red card, City enjoyed nearly 70 per cent of possession.
Sergio Aguero wasted several good chances and Ilkay Guendogan had a penalty saved by Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, before missing a sitter.
The Daily Mail reported that Guardiola kept his players locked in the dressing room for 50 minutes after the match.
NO HAIRDRYER TREATMENT
However, the Spaniard insisted that he had not subjected his players to the hairdryer treatment.
Asked if he had lashed out at his players, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Never, (not) with this performance. I was talking with my staff and my wife, and some of my players.
"With this performance, it would be a massive mistake to tell them how bad they are.
"A few times it's happened, and it didn't happen...
"We lost the game. We played good but we lost the game, it's happened again."
Second-placed City are now a whopping 22 points behind runaway EPL leaders Liverpool.
City vice-captain Fernandinho said profligacy has been the story of his side's season.
He told ESPN Brasil: "It's a bit difficult. It's a painful defeat, especially given how we played.
"We continue to create chances but are not clinical enough.
"We missed another penalty, continued to miss chances and then they scored twice.
"This has been our season.
"It's clear that conversations are important because we can't let things go on like this...
"Liverpool have practically won the league now, with how far ahead they are.
"We need to be careful because from now until the end of the season, we could lose more points and, subsequently, our place in the table.
"We could even finish outside the Champions League places."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now