How Pep Guardiola decided to reward Manchester City squad after emphatic Liverpool victory

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given his players three days off after a crucial 4-1 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock for the visitors after 17 minutes but Julian Alvarez restored parity after finishing a brilliant team move after 27 minutes.

Slotting in for the injured Erling Haaland, Alvarez played a key role in City’s second as well, with Riyad Mahrez setting up Kevin De Bruyne after being fed out wide by the World Cup winner.

Ilkay Gundogan added a third as Manchester City put Liverpool to the sword with some of their best attacking sequences this season.

Arguably City’s best player on the day, Jack Grealish grabbed a well deserved goal after latching onto Kevin De Bruyne’s pass and slotting past Alisson to put the icing on the cake for the hosts.

City travel to St. Mary’s this weekend as they continue their chase of league leaders Arsenal, who ran out 4-1 winners against Leeds United on Saturday.

The games are set to come thick and fast this month for Manchester City, who play eight more times across the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in April.

A two-legged Champions League quarter-final tie awaits the Blues in the coming weeks, and Pep Guardiola has given his squad three days off to rest and recharge after their win over Liverpool on Saturday.

The Manchester City first-team are due to return to training on Wednesday as they begin their preparations for the most defining period of their season, as they chase glory on three fronts.

“They need to rest,” Guardiola said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “I was on holiday in my hometown in Catalonia (during the international break) but they (the City squad) were in national team.

“And after that if you continue Champions League or FA Cup, you have a lot of games, so stay away and then three days to prepare (for) Southampton, Bayern Munich, Leicester, Sheffield United and Arsenal.”

Guardiola would be pleased to see City hitting top gear at the right time and history shows the Catalan can steer his side past the finish line should they build on their recent momentum and go on a trademark Manchester City winning run.