Pep Guardiola received praise from observant fans for kissing Gabriel Jesus after Manchester City’s victory over Arsenal, which pushed them to the top of the Premier League.
Despite holding only 36.4% of the ball – the lowest possession total Guardiola has ever had in a league game as a manager – Man City still managed to outduel the Gunners with a keen, coordinated press.
Kevin De Bruyne played exceptionally, scoring one goal and assisting another to help the defending champions secure a 3-1 victory in north London. De Bruyne also gave a push and finger-wag to his former coach Mikel Arteta.
During the match between Arsenal and Man City, there were also unpleasant incidents at the Emirates stadium where bottles were thrown in the direction of De Bruyne as he was being substituted.
Pep chats with his former student
While Arsenal conceded the top spot to City, Gabriel Jesus, was unable to participate in the game due to a medial collateral ligament injury he sustained during the World Cup. He is currently recovering from surgery and watched from the sidelines.
At 25 years old, Jesus spent five and a half successful years with Manchester City, during which he bagged four Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and two League Cups. After scoring 95 goals in 236 appearances for the Cityzens, the Brazilian ace moved to north London at the beginning of the current campaign.
Despite his departure to Premier challengers Arsenal, who Jesus helped propel at the start of the season, Guardiola still greatly admires Jesus. The affectionate post-game encounter and warm embrace certainly didn’t go unnoticed by fans on Twitter.
Who knows — perhaps the two will meet again in the future with Pep at the helm of Brazil?
Photo: Twitter/abasilito
