Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola defended reserve goalkeeper Zack Steffen, saying he had to keep his place despite a mistake that led to a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.
After a header by Ibrahim Konate put Liverpool in the lead, the mistake of the US national Steffen brought a second goal to the Reds in the 17th minute.
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“It was an accident, but he has to try, because that’s how we play our football,” Guardiola told reporters after the match.
“He deserves to play and then he had a good game,” Guardiola said. “He made good saves and is an outstanding goalkeeper.”
Steffen was too late when he received a back pass from City defender John Stones. Liverpool striker Sadio Mane slipped to deal with the goalkeeper and the ball flew into the net.
“We use our guard to move our opponents to different situations. “I’m pretty sure Zack didn’t want to do it,” Guardiola said. “Sometimes strikers miss in front of the goalkeeper, other times the goalkeeper makes a mistake.”
Steffen was one of seven changes Guardiola has made to the team, which began in its Champions League match in the middle of the week, with the City boss choosing to kill several of the team’s starters, including first-choice goalkeeper Ederson.
City is leading the Premier League with 74 points, one point ahead of Liverpool, with seven games left. They host Brighton and Hove Albion in the league on Wednesday.
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