Update: ‘Always there’ Pep Guardiola makes telling Nico O’Reilly point after Man City win News

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised Nico O’Reilly after his latest goal for the club earned three very important points

Pep Guardiola joked that Manchester City keep producing goalscoring left-backs after Nico O’Reilly made the breakthrough at Everton. A year after Josko Gvardiol produced an outstanding run of goals from the same position, 20-year-old O’Reilly popped up with his second in as many weeks to push City towards the Champions League for next season.

It is the latest in a growing list of decisive contributions from City’s homegrown star. Two assists off the bench at Bournemouth turned their FA Cup quarter-final around and a goal and assist helped them to come back against Crystal Palace last week.

His latest star turn was an 84th-minute goal to break the deadlock in a game that had looked certain to end 1-0, with the makeshift left-back getting onto the end of a low cross from makeshift right-back Matheus Nunes and firing the ball past Jordan Pickford. Mateo Kovacic lashed home a second minutes later to complete the win.

Guardiola was delighted with the movement of his player, but also the work from his teammates to create the situation. As everyone made a step up, O’Reilly was in the right position at the right time for everyone to benefit.

“He’s an attacking midfielder,” said Guardiola. “When you play him as a full-back and the game is quick with transitions, he can arrive.

“When you go left-right, right-left with a lot of passes you give him time to arrive there and as an attacking midfielder he’s always there. Look at Plymouth, and two assists at Bournemouth.

“It’s look like in this team if you play left-back you score goals – Josko before and now him. The impact was really good.

“We are so grateful because he’s not a left-back but in teams like today, they are unstoppable at set-pieces. Garner is an incredible taker, Branthwaite and O’Brien are so tall.

“If you are tall and your taker is good you have a chance and they had a few clear chances. The second half we made a step up.

“Gundo was closer to the box, Kevin was closer, Savinho was incisive and at the end we found the goal.”

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