Pep Guardiola says UEFA Champions League qualification 'like a title' for Manchester City after Premier League final day victory over Fulham
Published 25/05/2025 at 19:47 GMT+1
A below par year for Manchester City ended on a high as Pep Guardiola's side won 2-0 at Fulham to secure their place in next season's UEFA Champions League. And Guardiola took a positive view on the campaign as he reflected on a difficult year, City's first season without a major trophy since 2016/17. The Catalan admitted the gap to champions Liverpool is "huge".
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Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City's qualification for the UEFA Champions League was "like a title" after his side beat Fulham 2-0 to finish third in the Premier League.
Goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland at Craven Cottage were enough for a City team recovering from last weekend's FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.
That defeat at Wembley meant City would endure a trophyless season for the first time in eight years, but Guardiola said a place in the Champions League was equally significant.
"It's like a title, [because of] the obstacles," he told Match of the Day. "When you continue [a run of poor form] you finish 10th, 11th, 12th or 13th. This is the destiny of all the teams in the Premier League when they are in November, December or January and you cannot fight for the Premier League, like you have done for many years.
"People can say 'I don't want to fight again, just to qualify for the Europa League'. We continued playing good and we were there [in position to seal Champions League qualification] and we did it.
"At the end we finished third, not miles away from Arsenal, but the distance to Liverpool is huge. We have to improve and hopefully we can do it."
Guardiola praised his players' performance in victory at Fulham and reiterated his belief that City will improve next season, having seen their run of four successive Premier League titles ended by Liverpool.
"We started really well and after that we had the momentum. It was in our hands and we did our job," he said.
"It's been a tough year but we never gave up. I'm very proud and pleased for the team. Now we will recover and next season will be better."
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Before the season-ending match at Fulham, Guardiola was asked about his decision to leave the departing Kevin De Bruyne on the bench.
"It's 95 minutes and a tough game, physical, and maybe I decide I prefer Kevin for a few minutes at the end than at the beginning."
De Bruyne was introduced as a late substitute, marking his 421st and final appearance in a City shirt.
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