Ilkay Gundogan hails two Man City players as 'incredible'

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola felt that Manchester City needed more quality in the final third as they trailed Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup. The Blues were staring at the biggest upset of the manager's five years at the club when Alfie May stabbed home from a Ben Tozer long throw on the hour-mark, leading to first-team regulars Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo all being brought off the bench for the closing moments.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has challenged his Manchester City players to find another irreplaceable quality to make up for losing Kevin De Bruyne.City's talented playmaker could be missing for up to six weeks with the hamstring injury he picked up against Aston Villa in midweek in what has been the biggest setback to their season since the major Covid outbreak in the squad last month.However, the Blues found a way to win without him on Wednesday and are in excellent form in the Premier

straight to your inboxBernardo Silva says his goal that broke Aston Villa's stubborn resilience and sent Manchester City top of the Premier League felt more important than usual.Manchester City had plenty of chances, but somehow could not convert and were heading for a nervy finish on a night that would end with them being top of the Premier League if they were to record three points.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was left hoping on Wednesday night that the injuries that forced Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne off against Aston Villa will not be too serious.Manchester City continued their good form, winning their sixth straight league game and ninth in all competitions to reach the Premier League summit for the first time this season thanks to late goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.However, they had to make do without two of their starting XI for long spells.

straight to your inboxManuel Pellegrini built on the groundwork left by Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, and Pep Guardiola has since used that work to create an all-conquering side at the Etihad. Pellegrini led City to first, second and fourth-placed finishes in his three years at the helm, before Guardiola arrived and built a side that has won every domestic trophy available in record-breaking fashion.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola believes that Manchester City players are building confidence through their own performances rather than being distracted by any talk of a title race.City head into their match with Crystal Palace on Sunday on the back of seven straight wins in all competitions and with a chance of moving either into the top two for the first time this season or to within a point of top spot.

direct to your inboxThe date and kick-off times for the FA Cup forth round have been confirmed.Manchester United will welcome fierce rivals Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday, January 24, with kick-off coming at 5pm. It will be shown live on BBC One.

straight to your inboxFormer Manchester City defender Micah Richards has hailed Phil Foden as a 'superstar' following his latest eye-catching performance. The England international netted the only goal of the game in the 1-0 victory over Brighton, which moved City four points off the top with a game in hand.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was able to rest some of Manchester City's key players against Birmingham, and his second half substitutions could indicate who is in line to start against Brighton on Wednesday.Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleks Zinchenko were rested completely, while Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne all played 45 minutes in City's straightforward FA Cup win at the weekend.

straight to your inboxKyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero will all have to be assessed in training before Pep Guardiola will decide when he can turn to his players again. Manchester City progressed to the Carabao Cup final for a fourth year in a row by beating neighbours United at Old Trafford with goals from John Stones and Fernandinho in a 2-0 win.

direct to your inboxManchester United and Manchester City are locking horns in a Carabao Cup semi-final tonight.City, winners of the competition in each of the last three seasons, tackle a United side looking to lift the competition for the first time since 2017. With the country having entered a third lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Old Trafford will once again be without fans but it remains a fiercely-anticipated clash.

straight to your inbox Phil Foden says Manchester City's brilliant first half performance at Chelsea was down to Pep Guardiola's 'genius' preparation. City hit Chelsea with two goals in three minutes, and followed up with a third shortly after to take complete control of the clash at Stamford Bridge before 35 minutes had been played.

straight to your inboxFerran Torres, Ederson, and Tommy Doyle are the three Manchester City players that tested positive ahead of the Everton game on Monday. Pep Guardiola was without Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus for the Newcastle game on Boxing Day after the pair were confirmed to be carrying the virus following the team's trip down to London to play Arsenal before Christmas.

straight to your inboxIlkay Gundogan has explained the thinking behind his more advanced role for Manchester City in recent fixtures that has seen him register his first goals of the Premier League season.Gundogan has two goals in three league games with the opening goals against West Brom and Newcastle, and the scoring form has coincided with a change in his role under Pep Guardiola.With Rodri an ever-present in defensive midfield, Gundogan says Guardiola has chosen to move him more forward in

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players not to look too closely at a Premier League table that has rivals Manchester United as joint leaders.United moved level with Liverpool on New Year's Day by beating Aston Villa, with City seven points behind the pair albeit with two games in hand.Speaking ahead of City's trip to face Chelsea, Guardiola said he is not surprised to see a club of United's stature back at the top of the table, but warned Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola challenged his Manchester City players to pull together as they deal with the setback of losing Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker.The two first team players tested positive for Covid-19 just before Christmas and are set to miss at least the Everton game having already been absent for the Newcastle game.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was thrilled with Manchester City's performance in their 2-0 win over Newcastle.

straight to your inboxIlkay Gundogan played down injury concerns after picking up a knock in Manchester City's Boxing Day victory over Newcastle United.Gundogan scored the opening goal as Pep Guardiola's men beat Newcastle 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in their first game after Christmas.