He is a fighter - Guardiola hails Jesus' star turn

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hailed Gabriel Jesus as a fighter after the Brazil international inspired a much-needed victory over West Ham.

Published : Feb 02, 2017 14:11 IST

Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his first Premier League goal for Manchester City.
Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his first Premier League goal for Manchester City.
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Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his first Premier League goal for Manchester City.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hailed Gabriel Jesus as a fighter after the Brazil international inspired a much-needed victory over West Ham.

Guardiola's men romped to a 4-0 win at London Stadium, with Jesus grabbing a goal and an assist on his first Premier League start.

Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Yaya Toure (penalty) also scored as City won for only the second time in five league matches to move level on points with fourth-placed Liverpool.

Guardiola was thrilled with his front three of Jesus, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, who tormented West Ham with Sergio Aguero controversially left on the substitutes' bench along with regular goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

"Gabriel Jesus is a fighter with a great instinct for the goal when he is in the box," Guardiola said to BBC Sport.

"He is good at assists too, he helps us a lot with the pressing and is clever with the ball. I like the fans to be excited. 

"His input for 10 minutes against Spurs was good, then he played well against Crystal Palace and again here.

"We played a front three with an average age of 20. Those players are the future of the club. I don't know of many big teams who have that.

"Leroy Sane had some problems at the beginning but now he is settled. They will be important players for the next few years.

"Our high pressing was good and we were so aggressive without the ball."

Guardiola insisted he still has confidence in under-fire Bravo, despite opting to select Willy Caballero in the top-flight for the first time since August.

"I have a lot of confidence in both," he said.

"Just this time I decide for Willy. Another day I might decide for another player like Bravo.

"I am going to enjoy our victory and then from Thursday I will think about our next game."

City, who also has a 5-0 FA Cup win at West Ham to its name this year, is back in action at home to Swansea City on Sunday. 

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