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Five memorable Manchester City victories under Pep Guardiola

Ahead of Pep Guardiola's 200 Premier League game, Sports Mole takes a look at five memorable victories for the Spaniard in charge of Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola will take charge of his 200th Premier League match when his Manchester City side welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Whatever the result this weekend, the Spaniard will have the best record of any manager in the competition's history to have reached this milestone, having already won 146 games, drawing 25 times and losing on 28 occasions.

Since his appointment back in 2016, Guardiola has certainly made his mark in the English top flight, winning the league title in three of the last four seasons and accumulating a staggering 443 points in the process, more than any other team.

Ahead of Guardiola's 200-game milestone, Sports Mole takes a look at five memorable victories in the Premier League for Manchester City since the perennial winner arrived at the Etihad six years ago.


Manchester City 2-1 Sunderland – August 13, 2016

Pep Guardiola celebrates his first victory in charge of Manchester City on August 13, 2016© Reuters

Man City were unconvincing in their first Premier League game under Guardiola, but were able to claim a slender 2-1 victory at home against Sunderland on the opening day of the 2016-17 campaign.

The Citizens made a bright start with Sergio Aguero netting after just four minutes, however the hosts were frustrated by a resilient Sunderland outfit, managed by David Moyes.

The Black Cats were dominated by Guardiola's side, who boasted 77% possession, but they were able to equalise in the 71st minute when Jermain Defoe slotted the ball under Willy Caballero, who surprisingly started between the sticks ahead of Joe Hart.

City were on course for a disappointing draw on home soil, until an 87th-minute own goal from substitute Paddy McNair ensured that Guardiola would begin his reign in Manchester with all three points. The Citizens went on to win their opening six league games that season, including a 2-1 victory against crosstown rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.


Southampton 0-1 Manchester City – May 13, 2018

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates their winning goal scored by Gabriel Jesus against Southampton on May 13, 2018© Reuters

Guardiola's first Premier League title was clinched in the 2017-18 campaign with five games to spare – an English top-flight triumph that went down in the history books as arguably the greatest of all time, as they broke a plethora of records along the way.

Heading into the final game of the season at St Mary's, the Citizens knew that a victory against Southampton would see them become the first ever team to reach 100 points.

Such an impressive accolade was seemingly slipping away from them as the game was goalless heading into stoppage time. However, Gabriel Jesus dinked the ball over Alex McCarthy in the 94th minute, sparking jubilant celebrations and rounding off a record-breaking season in style.

Victory against the Saints was City's 32nd of the season as well as their 16th away from home – two more Premier League records set by Guardiola's side. The Spaniard, who was named Manager of the Month four times in a row between September and December that campaign, also saw his team finish 19 points clear of Man Utd in second, surpassing the Red Devils' previous 18-point margin at the top in 1999-2000.


Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City – April 24, 2019

Manchester City winger Bernardo Silva celebrates scoring against Manchester United on April 24, 2019© Reuters

Man City overcame a huge hurdle in their quest to retain the Premier League title when they defeated bitter rivals Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Second-half strikes from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane helped the Citizens claim three crucial points, moving them above Liverpool to the top of the table with just three games remaining.

This result was part of a 14-game winning run at the end of the campaign, which helped City fend off stern competition from Jurgen Klopp's side to become the first team in a decade to retain the title, finishing with an impressive 98 points.

Success against the Red Devils was also Guardiola's third consecutive league triumph at Old Trafford as City head coach, as well as his 40th Premier League away victory.


Manchester City 8-0 Watford – September 21, 2019

Scoreboard showing Manchester City winning 8-0 against Watford on September 21, 2019© Reuters

Guardiola's biggest Premier League victory came in the 2019-20 campaign against Watford, whom they demolished 8-0 in the joint-second largest triumph in the competition's history.

The Citizens raced into a 5-0 lead after just 18 minutes, with strikes from David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Nicolas Otamendi.

Bernardo completed his hat-trick after the break with strikes in the 48th and 60th minutes, before Kevin De Bruyne got in on the act by netting City's eighth in the final five minutes.

Another notable game to mention from the 2019-20 campaign was their 4-0 victory at home against eventual winners Liverpool, who went on to end Guardiola's hopes of a third successive English top-flight title.


Liverpool 1-4 Manchester City – February 7, 2021

Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring against Liverpool in the Premier League on February 7, 2021© Reuters

An eagerly-anticipated encounter in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign saw Premier League holders Liverpool lock horns with Manchester City at Anfield, a fixture played behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The lack of support from the Anfield faithful was clearly felt by the Reds, who were comfortably beaten 4-1 by Guardiola's side thanks to an exceptional performance from Phil Foden as well as a two calamitous second-half mistakes from Alisson Becker.

A brace from goal-machine Ilkay Gundogan as well as strikes from Raheem Sterling and Foden helped the Citizens claim their first victory at Anfield since 2003. It was also Guardiola's first as a manager on Liverpool's home turf.

That result was City's 10th triumph in a 15-game winning streak as they charged towards their seventh top-flight title and their third under Guardiola.

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff celebrate with the EFL Cup on February 25, 2018
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