Pep Guardiola was visibly emotional as he bid farewell to Manchester City, with a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday marking the end of a glittering decade under the Catalan manager.
The 55-year-old had announced on Friday that he would be leaving the club after a trophy-laden spell that delivered 20 honours in 10 seasons, transforming City into the dominant force in English football.
Guardiola was given a rousing reception on arrival, walking out to a giant banner bearing his image and the message: “Game changer. History maker. City forever.”
Catalan flags filled one end of the stadium, while the newly named and expanded Pep Guardiola Stand was in use for the first time at the Etihad.
During his tenure, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach won six Premier League titles and Manchester City’s first Champions League crown among 17 major trophies.
Bernardo Silva and John Stones, key figures across those successes, also received emotional send-offs in what proved to be their final appearances after a combined 19 years of service. Silva, captaining the side, was in tears before kick-off as he led the team out.
With the Premier League title already decided following Arsenal’s earlier confirmation as champions, the match carried little at stake competitively. Aston Villa also arrived buoyed by their recent Europa League triumph, their first trophy in 30 years, before securing a top-four finish ahead of Liverpool.
Guardiola made nine changes from the side that drew at Bournemouth, with Erling Haaland among those not included in the matchday squad.
Antoine Semenyo gave City the lead with a smart finish from a corner, but Ollie Watkins turned the game in Villa’s favour after the break.
Watkins capitalised on a poor header from John Stones to equalise before finishing clinically for his second goal, taking his tally to 21 for the season.
The afternoon took on a testimonial-like tone as Silva and Stones both received emotional guard of honours upon their substitutions, with Guardiola visibly moved on the touchline.
City briefly thought they had salvaged a point when Phil Foden fired in off the underside of the crossbar, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review adjudged him to be offside.
The decision sealed a rare home defeat for Guardiola on a poignant afternoon that brought down the curtain on a historic era at Manchester City.
AFP
