Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute finish sealed a narrow 1-0 victory for City, who battled through to the fifth round at Spurs’ expense. It was the Sky Blues’ first ever goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following more than 100 unsuccessful attempts.
After the final whistle, talk turned to Klopp, who announced earlier on Friday that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the campaign. He and Guardiola have enjoyed a gripping rivalry, both in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, as well as in the Premier League with Liverpool and City.
And Guardiola feels that Klopp’s exit will have a significant impact on his side due to the heated competition which defined numerous Premier League title races.
“I’m a little bit surprised,” Guardiola told ITV of Klopp’s bombshell announcement. “He’s an incredible manager, and I don’t know him closely but I think he’s an incredible person as well. I have the feeling that when he leaves, part of Man City will leave as well.
“They’ve been our biggest rivals over the past few years. Personally, at Dortmund and here, he’s been my biggest rival. I will miss him personally. I’m a little bit pleased because without him I will sleep a little bit better the night before we play Liverpool. But I wish him all the best. And he doesn’t admit it but he will be back.”
“From the statistics and the way we played I was really pleased,” he explained. “Today we performed incredibly well. Everything [pleased me], from minute one to the 95th minute.
“We are trying to defend the title and coming here is difficult. We create a lot in every game and have courage with or without the ball, so I’m really pleased.”
