Pep Guardiola asked Bernardo Silva to help Manchester City get back control against Newcastle just before his goal did exactly that. Newcastle piled the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side in the second half as they searched for an equaliser so Bernardo was brought on with 25 minutes to go to help calm the match down. Within two minutes and with his first touch he did exactly that as he swept the ball home from just inside the box. The Portuguese has revealed what Guardiola told him before his crucial introduction.
Bernardo Silva said: “We were under pressure because they were trying to press a bit higher to create more chances. He told me to try to control the game, have the ball in their half instead of ours and maybe we could score a second goal which we did it and it made a bit easier for us.”
On the goal itself,
Bernardo Silva explained: “Happy to score but happy for the team to get the three points. It’s a tough game against Newcastle – such a good team and they tried to put us under pressure in the second half by taking more risks. It came at a moment when they were going for it to put us under pressure. They were pushing high and it’s normal when you are losing 1-0 and going into the final 20 minutes of the game. You take more risks, and we were under pressure and in a difficult moment. I saw the ball was possibly coming from, so I tried to position my body in the best possible way to take a touch and then shoot. Luckily it went in, and I was happy to score and to help the team get an important three points.”
