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Pep Guardiola Apologised to Gabriel Jesus for Riyad Mahrez Penalty Decision

Gianni VerschuerenOct 8, 2018

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed he apologised to Gabriel Jesus for his decision to let Riyad Mahrez take a crucial penalty in the 0-0 stalemate against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

Jesus and Mahrez argued over who should take the penalty, and Guardiola gave the nod to the latter only to watch him miss. He has now failed with five of his last eight attempts.

Per The Independent's Mark Critchley, Guardiola said: "During the training sessions every day I see Mahrez taking the penalties and it gave me a lot of confidence. It will be good experience for him, next time it will go in."

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He was asked if he apologised to Jesus, and the 47-year-old replied: "Yes, of course. It was my decision."

Guardiola also said Sergio Aguero would have taken the penalty had he been on the pitch, but the Argentinian had already been substituted.

Here are some more of his post-match comments:

Mahrez was given a huge opportunity to impress against a reeling Liverpool team that had failed to win any of their three last outings across all competitions. The two Premier League title challengers balanced each other out on Sunday, but the best chances fell to the defending champions.

The Algerian's penalty was a dreadful one, as he sent the ball flying well over the bar.

Barcelona fans quickly noted Guardiola's issues with penalty takers go back a long way:

Jesus has not enjoyed a great start to the new campaign, scoring just a single Premier League goal so far. Mahrez has had limited opportunities since making the switch to the Etihad Stadium from Leicester City and has two goals.

Sunday's draw left both teams tied with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League standings. Near the top of the table, things look as tight as ever:

That makes the penalty miss all the more crucial, as the Sky Blues squandered a golden opportunity to create a gap heading into the international break.

City's next outing will be against Burnley on October 20.