Richard Keys was not overly pleased with ’s decision to berate on the pitch after his side had been reduced to a 0-0 draw with
Arsenal in their latest
Premier League encounter. In what can be deemed as an opportunity missed by Guardiola and his men amid their three-way race for the Premier League title, winger Grealish was only afforded 29 minutes to stamp his authority on the game. Replacing Mateo Kovacic on the 61st-minute mark, the 28-year-old had enjoyed just 25 touches of the ball. Post-match, when players were shaking hands, Guardiola entered the field of play to converse with Grealish and was overly animated in his discussion, while his winger looked on in disappointment. Keys, on duty for , called out the Spaniard for having what should be a private conversation with the Englishman in front of the cameras at Etihad Stadium. “Save it for the dressing room. It’s all for the cameras, isn’t it? It’s so tiresome. Go down the tunnel, he shouldn’t even be on the pitch. Guardiola then interjected a heated exchange between his star striker Erling Haaland and Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes, all while Keys muttered “Now he’s got to go and tell everybody else what they did wrong of course.". During such an important fixture in their respective calendars, neither Guardiola nor Mikel Arteta were able to mastermind a victory over their opposition. Both managers were looking for a three-point haul at the Etihad Stadium as a chance to steal a march on the other - but neither came out victorious in a game that yielded zero goals.
Liverpool, on the other hand, were particularly joyous thanks to their 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the day. Goals from Luis Diaz and
Mohamed Salah were enough to cancel out Danny Welbeck's early opener as the Merseysiders took charge of the Premier League title race, with them two points adrift of second-placed Arsenal.
Manchester City, after failing to beat Arsenal on home turf for the first time since April 2016, have 64 points on the board. The Citizens were looking to Erling Haaland for inspiration throughout their latest league affair, but the Norway international had a day to forget, registering a mere 25 touches throughout.