Pep Guardiola uses Merseyside derby as fuel for Manchester City’s cruise

Pep Guardiola applauds the fans after an imperious display from Manchester City at Brighton. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Pep Guardiola said he used Liverpool’s defeat at Everton as a reminder to his Manchester City players about the perils of football before they went to Brighton on Thursday night and won 4-0.

Twenty-four hours after Liverpool’s 2-0 derby defeat, City ran riot on the south coast, two goals from Phil Foden and one apiece from Kevin De Bruyne and Julián Álvarez ensuring they retained control of their destiny in the title race.

Guardiola, who will take his team to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Sunday, has them one point behind the leaders, Arsenal, with a game in hand. City are two clear of third-placed Liverpool, having played a game fewer, although Guardiola said they remained serious contenders.

“They are … what happened to Liverpool [at Everton], I said to the players, can happen to us,” Guardiola said. “It can happen to Arsenal. People don’t expect they [Liverpool] lose against Crystal Palace and yesterday [at Everton] but it can happen. And to us.

“Everton is playing for the relegation zone, quite a similar game to what we will have at Nottingham Forest, and they play for their lives. Maybe because they have been a real contender of ours for years … my appreciation of Liverpool is higher than ever.

“You see the game they draw at Old Trafford [against Manchester United], the chances that they miss and yesterday [at Everton] … [Jordan] Pickford was exceptional. And the game against Crystal Palace, in the second half, the chances that they missed … Don’t tell me the reason why. It’s football. Still they are there because I know the character from Liverpool, the institution and the team. They are going to fight until the end. We have to do it, too.”

Guardiola said humility had to be the watchword in the chase for a record fourth English top-flight title in a row. “The players know,” he said. “And they have a manager that remembers [to them] many, many times [if] we are not humble enough and give credit to all the other teams, it’s not going to happen.

“I didn’t ask them if they watched the [Liverpool] game last night, like Arsenal on Tuesday [the 5-0 win over Chelsea] but I’m pretty sure they have an eye on the result. Going to Goodison Park is not easy. Never was for Man City. So you have to do your job and we have done it.

“There is pressure. We know that if we don’t win or we draw we will not have the chance to fight until the end. What we have done in the past … it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in the future. To do it again, you have to make it happen. I would love to say because we have won the last three Premier Leagues, we are going to win 0-4 here but it doesn’t happen.”