“He saves us, otherwise Arsenal will be champions”: Guardiola greets Ortega | first division

Pep Guardiola said his backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega had kept Manchester City's hopes of a historic fourth consecutive English top-flight title alive as he awaited another installment of the final day's drama against West Ham.

City beat Tottenham 2-0 on a night when home coach Ange Postecoglou muttered darkly about his club's “fragile foundations,” both “inside and out.” It seemed as if he was criticizing the attitude of some people, although he seemed to forgive the players who, he said, had “matched” City.

Erling Haaland scored both City goals, but it was Ortega, replacing the injured Ederson, who helped preserve the result. At 1-0, he made great one-on-one saves to deny Spurs substitute Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min.

City will be crowned champions for the sixth time under Guardiola if they manage to beat West Ham. Arsenal, who are two points behind, host Everton.

Guardiola remembered City's 2021-22 title when they beat Aston Villa 3-2 on the last day, after trailing 2-0 with 15 minutes remaining. He predicted that he and his players would suffer again.

About Ortega, he said: “He saves us; Otherwise, Arsenal will be champions. Thats the reality. The margins are very tight. My God, the salvation of the Son. It was incredible. When it comes to one-on-one, Stefan is one of the best goalkeepers I have ever seen in my entire life. It’s German culture: get up, don’t fall.”

Postecoglou dropped a bombshell, saying that “the last 48 hours have revealed to me that the foundation is quite fragile” and added: “It just means I have to go back to the drawing board with some things.”

The Australian was quick when asked to elaborate. “Outside, inside, everywhere,” he said. “It has been an interesting exercise. They are just my observations. I'm not going to tell you because it's for me. I'm the one who has to do it. I probably misinterpreted the situation in terms of what I think is important in their effort to become a winning team. “I already know what I want to do… I just have to make some adjustments to the way I do it.”

The build-up to the match was dominated by discussion over whether the Spurs support would want a result that would give Arsenal the initiative in the title race. The atmosphere inside the stadium was calm, although the Spurs played well.

Postecoglou was asked if this had affected the players. “Of course I do,” he replied. “It is what it is. I can't dictate what people do. They are allowed to express themselves however they want. But yes, when we have late winners in games it is because the public helped us.”