Josko Gvardiol denied the opportunity to score a hat-trick after allowing Julian Alvarez to take a penalty in injury time to score a 4-0 score for Man City against Fulham in round 37 of the Premier League. The Croatian could not become the first defender in the Premier League to score a hat-trick.
Josko Gvardiol has revealed why he turned down the opportunity to become the first defender to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, missing out on the chance to make history in the Premier League. With 3 points, Man City officially rose to the top of the Premier League rankings with 85 points, 2 points ahead of Arsenal.
Josko Gvardiol continued to show his impressive scoring form with 2 goals against Fulham, before Man City was awarded a penalty in the 90+7 minute. Fulham’s Issa Diop fouled Julian Alvarez in the penalty area and received a red card. That gives Man City the opportunity to become the first team in the Premier League to have a defender score 3 goals in a match.
However, Josko Gvardiol missed the opportunity to write his name in the history books when he let Alvarez take the penalty himself, despite some Man City teammates urging Gvardiol to take the penalty that could help him make history. that history.
After the match, Josko Gvardiol was asked by TNT Sports (England) why he did not step up and take the penalty, and the Croatian midfielder revealed that he was only following team regulations.
“Two more goals for me and of course another clean sheet, very happy,” said Josko Gvardiol. We discussed me taking penalties, and of course I would love to, but we have one main taker and he will take them. Finally, Julian Alvarez stepped up and he scored the goal.”
Just 13 minutes after the match started, Gvardiol scored the opening goal for Man City. In the attack with 19 passes, Kevin De Bruyne assisted Gvardiol to make a dribble and finish in the penalty area like a genuine striker. This is the 4th goal of 22-year-old Croatian midfielder Gvardiol for Man City in the last 7 matches and he did not have to wait long for the 5th goal.
20 minutes before the match ended, Gvardiol snuck behind Fulham’s defense to receive Bernardo Silva’s placed pass to tap the ball into the net to score, increasing the score to 3-0 for Man City. Before that, Phil Foden scored to increase the score to 2-0.
In Premier League history, the only defender to score a hat-trick in a Premier League match is Everton’s Steve Watson. However, Watson did not play in Everton’s defense in the 2003 match against Leeds United in which he scored a hat-trick.
Despite Josko Gvardiol not being able to make history, Man City is approaching the unprecedented achievement of becoming the first English team to win the Premier League four consecutive seasons. Just need to win Tottenham and West Ham in the remaining 2 matches, Pep Guardiola’s army will win the Premier League, regardless of Arsenal’s results.
Even Pep Guardiola’s Man City could win the championship before the final round, if Arsenal does not beat Manchester United tonight 12-5, and Man City wins against Tottenham in the make-up match in the middle of next week.