EPL: Man City boss PGuardiola says win vs Bristol City was beautiful and nice

Bristol Citys Jamie Paterson acknowledges supporters after the League Cup semi-final first-leg against Man City on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was eager to give credit to Bristol City as well as praise his own players after the 2-1 League Cup semi-final first-leg win against the Championship outfit. An impressive performance at the Etihad Stadium from the Robins - who had beaten Watford, Stoke, Crystal Palace and Manchester United en route to the last four - saw them take a shock lead through Bobby Reid's 44th-minute penalty.

Pep Guardiola

Kevin De Bruyne equalised in the 55th minute and the runaway EPL leaders snatched victory on the night via substitute Sergio Aguero's stoppage-time header. Guardiola said: "It was a nice game, beautiful game, and all my credit to Bristol City. We knew that (it would be a tough game) because you cannot knock out four teams from the EPL without (being) well organised and having nice players to watch."

When asked what he had said to opposite number Lee Johnson at the end of the game, Guardiola said: "Big congratulations. He came here to try to play. They created chances. They are up in the Championship (Johnson's side are fourth), and I have a lot of respect for what they have done." While the hosts certainly did not produce one of their finest performances, Guardiola was also keen to laud the way they reacted to the setback of falling behind. "It is fantastic. I am a lucky guy to train the players I have," he said. "Always semi-finals are tough, and 1-0 down, how we reacted in that situation... I don't know what is going to happen at the end of the season, but my respect for these professionals."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go