[paragraph][bold][bold]Manchester City[/bold] [/bold]coach, [bold][bold]Pep Guardiola[/bold][/bold] has responded to accusations of participating in a "disrespectful" celebration after his team defeated Liverpool 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, April 1.[/paragraph][paragraph]
[/paragraph][paragraph][bold][bold]Guardiola[/bold][/bold] appeared to celebrate Julian Alvarez's equalizer in front of Liverpool substitute Kostas Tsimikas before bizarrely shaking the hand of Reds midfielder Arthur Melo.[/paragraph][paragraph]Guardiola clarified what happened during the exchange, saying, "I was happy, and I said [to Tsimikas] how nice our goal was."[/paragraph][paragraph]When another journalist then questioned Guardiola about the incident and asked whether the celebration was a slight lack of respect for the Liverpool players, he became visibly more agitated and replied, [/paragraph][paragraph]
[/paragraph][paragraph]"I'm so sorry. Speak with Tsimikas, speak with Arthur for a lack of respect.[/paragraph][paragraph]"Ask him if I lack respect. I celebrated the goal. I celebrate with my son on the floor, and I come here, and I say 'the goal was nice, wasn't it?' That's all. I'm so sorry. Do you think it was a lack of respect? Ah okay, I'm sorry."[/paragraph][paragraph]While Guardiola used a lot of time after the match to explain his actions, he also praised his team for their performance against Liverpool, temporarily reducing the gap to current Premier League leaders Arsenal to just five points. The Spaniard claimed the display was among the best from his side since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium.[/paragraph]
