May 2023 – Page 33

The final day of the Premier League season will see two of the English top flight’s most impressive managers go head-to-head.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa can book a place in the Europa Conference League with a victory after guiding them from relegation jeopardy to seventh since taking over in November.

A Europa League spot is already secured for visiting Brighton, with a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Wednesday night guaranteeing a sixth-placed finish for Roberto De Zerbi’s men.

As the two tacticians collide at Villa Park, we turn the spotlight on their remarkable campaigns which have seen both nominated for Premier League Manager of the Season.

Seagulls soaring

Many feared the worst when popular manager Graham Potter, who had just led Brighton to a record ninth-placed finish, left the South Coast for Chelsea last September.

Replacement De Zerbi was a lesser-known name at the time of his appointment — but the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss’ exciting brand of attacking football is now the envy of much of the division.

And while Potter’s time at Stamford Bridge has already come to an acrimonious end, the Seagulls will look forward to their first ever European adventure next term under the charismatic Italian.

Villa thrillers

The rapid transformation in which Emery has turned things around at Villa is an equally impressive feat.

When predecessor Steven Gerrard was sacked following a dismal 3-0 defeat at Fulham last October, the Midlands outfit sat outside of the bottom three on goal difference alone with only two wins from their first 11 games.

Under the former Arsenal boss, the Villans are now up to seventh with a hugely impressive record of 14 victories from his 24 games in charge.

Similar styles

Villa were 2-1 winners in November’s reverse fixture at the Amex but both sides have come on leaps and bounds even since then.

While the two tacticians appear different in practice, their approaches are guided by similar principles.

Both play short passes out from the back, baiting and provoking opposition to press, allowing them to control possession against even the best sides and creating space for attacking players.

In Emery’s case, it is a slow, controlled and measured build-up. With De Zerbi it is often a quicker process with one-touch passes allowing the ball to move into the final third at speed.

High praise

The eye-catching work the two tacticians have done in the top flight this season has not escaped the attentions of two of the division’s biggest names.

Pep Guardiola recently remarked of De Zerbi: “Roberto is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years. There is no team playing the way they play — it’s unique.

“I had the feeling when he arrived the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great — I didn’t expect him to do it in this short space of time. They deserve completely the success they have.”

Jurgen Klopp, the only Premier League manager other than Guardiola to win the title in the last six years, has been similarly impressed with Emery’s exploits in the Second City.

The German said before Liverpool’s clash with Villa last weekend: “Aston Villa — my God. They play a superb second half of the season and fight for Europe as well, so it will be tricky.

“Unai is doing a heck of a job at Aston Villa. We have to make sure we’re ready.”

Villa likely need to beat Brighton to join them in Europe but regardless of if they are able to do so, both clubs’ futures are undoubtedly in good hands with their brilliant managers in charge.

The last significant act of Christopher Nkunku’s Bundesliga career was blowing the title race wide open.

While the Frenchman will regret that RB Leipzig were not in contention for top spot themselves this season, his penalty to put them in front at Bayern Munich last Saturday will at least be remembered for giving Borussia Dortmund a clear run at their first title in 11 years.

The 25-year-old will leave Germany this summer after backing up his 35-goal haul in the 2021-22 season with another 20 and counting this term, despite suffering from injuries.

With a Premier League move in the offing, we turn the spotlight on yet another product off the French talent conveyor belt.

Chelsea confusion

Nkunku was widely reported to have agreed a pre-contract deal to join Chelsea this summer as part of a busy 12 months of transfer business for Blues owner Todd Boehly.

A £50million deal was said to have been shaken on at the back end of 2022, with Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl telling Bild: “The signs are very, very clear that he’s moving to Chelsea.”

No official confirmation has been forthcoming from either end, though, with fresh reports claiming that the West Londoners’ failure to qualify for Europe next season has put doubt in the attacker’s mind.

Real Madrid are said to be sniffing around and could seek to sign Nkunku as quality back-up for Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo — but a move to Stamford Bridge is still likely.

All-round talent

Nkunku ranks second for goals and fourth for assists across the last two Bundesliga seasons, a dual threat that no other player in the division can match.

And despite injuries meaning that this season has been less productive than last, his 14 league goals from 19 starts is still an impressive return.

Possessing strong physical and technical attributes, the manner in which the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate causes danger is varied, too.

He sits in the top 11 for shots, dribbles completed and big chances created in the German top flight during that time period.

Best position

Such is the diversity in Nkunku’s skillset that nailing him down to one specialist role is not straightforward.

The Leipzig hotshot has been used across Marco Rose’s frontline this season, but believes he is at his best when given license to take as many touches as possible.

In a recent interview the eight-cap international said: “I think attacking midfield is a position that suits me well, close to the goal behind a striker.

“That describes me as a player nicely so I always like playing in this role.”

International chances

Nkunku’s form could easily have been rewarded with more appearances for Les Bleus than his tally to date.

The forward was selected in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad before picking up an injury that ruled him out of the competition, while he is in a battle with several players of similar stature for a spot in the starting XI.

Signing for a higher-profile club may boost his chances of international selection.

Rivals Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Kingsley Coman play for PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively, where they compete for league titles and play in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Barnsley head coach Michael Duff has challenged one of his players “to step up and be the hero” in their Sky Bet League One play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday.

Wednesday will start as the bookmakers’ favourites for Monday’s Wembley showdown against their local rivals after overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit in their thrilling semi-final win against Peterborough.

Barnsley finished fourth in the table, 10 points behind Wednesday, but backed up their 2-0 league win at Hillsborough in September with a 4-2 victory over the Owls at Oakwell in March.

Duff, who took over last summer following the club’s relegation from the Championship, said: “I bet if you look at the odds we’ll be the underdogs. It’s not me trying to create a narrative of my own, they are the facts.

“They finished on 96 points, God knows how many goals they scored, loads of clean sheets, 23-game unbeaten run and they were 4-0 down after the (semi-final) first leg.

“But they’re in a one-off game with us now and the positive is that we know we can hurt them.

“We think we know what we’re going to get and hopefully someone can step up and be the hero.”

Barnsley’s first league double over their South Yorkshire rivals since 2009 in March also halted the Owls’ club record 23-game unbeaten run.

But Duff, who will choose his starting line-up from a fully-fit squad, said that would have little bearing on Monday’s winner-takes-all encounter.

“Other than the fact that we know we can beat them,” Duff said. “You can dress it up which ever way you want. They’re older, much more experienced.

“Their players will have thousands more league appearances than we have and that might help them. It might not.

“Our youth and naivety might help us. We won’t know until the game pans out, but we know we can hurt them.

“We also know they’re a huge club with big players, and big players, a lot of the time, step up in big moments.

“So we’ll enjoy the day as much as we can, but we’re not going to Wembley for a day out, we’re going there to win.”

Duff acknowledged significant local bragging rights were at stake for both clubs’ fans, but does not feel that will be such a big factor for the players.

“There’s no point hiding away from it,” the former Cheltenham boss added. “But we’re not going to drum it up into something it isn’t.

“It’s a game of football. It’s 22 lads running around, there will be three blokes in black annoying everybody, probably, the pitch will be green and there will be white lines.

“Obviously the local derby element adds just a little bit of spice to what already will be a brilliant game.”

Mark Robins has praised Coventry for being “one game away from achieving a dream” at the end of a season in which he accepts he might have been sacked.

Coventry meet Luton in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on Saturday with a Premier League place and the millions of pounds that come with such status at stake.

Yet Coventry – who played seven of their opening nine league games away from the CBS Arena this season after the Commonwealth Games’ Rugby Sevens wrecked the pitch – were bottom of the Championship on October 19 and still in the relegation zone as November began.

“We are one game away from achieving a dream and changing the club’s future very quickly,” said manager Robins.

“This season has been exceptional in terms of the start we were handed and all the well documented issues that we had.

“The fact I remained in post when others didn’t. Bottom of the league in October, it’s generally unacceptable.

“That’s been something you look back on and say, ‘OK, that could have happened but it didn’t’.

“We managed to navigate our way through a really difficult period and come out the other side.

“The supporters understood the situation and really backed it, and without them it wouldn’t have happened.

“That’s why it makes it so special because, for me, the biggest achievement since I came through the door is the reconnection between players and supporters and long may that continue.”

Robins’ second Coventry spell – he spent five months there before leaving for Huddersfield in February 2013 – began in March 2017 with the Sky Blues bottom of League One and doomed to relegation.

Coventry claimed promotion the following season with a Wembley play-off final victory over Exeter, and Robins repeated the trick in the Covid-hit campaign of 2019-20 as the club returned to the second tier of English football for the first time since 2012.

Success was more notable as it was achieved against the backdrop of playing in Birmingham between 2019 and 2021 due to a rent dispute.

A sense of calm did not arrive until January when Doug King completed a full takeover of the club, while last month’s agreement of a five-year deal to continue playing at the the CBS Arena has provided further stability.

“I’ve had so much turbulence here that my first job at Rotherham stood me in good stead,” said Robins, recalling the 2008-09 League Two season when the Millers were deducted 17 points and Luton lost 30 for breaching Football League insolvency rules.

“The game is one for the romantics because of the journeys both clubs have been on.

“Luton dropped out of the league when I started my managerial career and found it very difficult to come back from that position.

“It took them five years to get back in and they have had a phenomenal run ever since.”

Coventry lost only once in their final 17 games to finish fifth in the Championship and they edged out highly fancied Middlesbrough in their play-off semi-final.

But Robins said: “We are under no illusions Luton are going to be made favourites because they finished 10 points ahead of us in the division.

“Luton are a really good team with some good technical players and have the power to go with that. That’s why they finished third.

“They are a year ahead of us in their development (Luton were play-off semi-finalists last season) and are expected to go up. No one expected us to be in this game.

“But the change of ownership has accelerated our five-year plan by five years. We’ve got to try and and finish this off, but to be in a position to do that is in itself incredible.”

Brentford will be without star striker Ivan Toney until early next year after he was found guilty of breaching betting rules.

The England international was handed an eight-month ban by The FA last week and it is a significant blow for Thomas Frank’s side.

This season the 27-year-old has scored 20 Premier League goals — a total only bettered by Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

Ahead of the Bees’ match against champions Manchester City on Sunday, with a place in the Europa Conference League still up for grabs on the final day, we run the rule over five players who could fill the Toney-shaped hole.

Chuba Akpom

Nobody could have predicted Chuba Akpom lighting up the Championship in 2022-23 with Middlesbrough like he did.

The Arsenal academy graduate finished as the division’s top scorer with 28 goals from 40 appearances, averaging a strike every 118 minutes.

His physicality, speed and lethal nature in the final third make the 27-year-old an ideal candidate for the Toney role.

And Brentford would not have to splash the cash either because the London-born marksman’s contract at the Riverside expires in 2024.

Viktor Gyokeres

The Championship’s second-top scorer with 21 goals, Viktor Gyokeres has already been heavily linked with a move to Brentford this summer.

Like Akpom, the Coventry hotshot has all the offensive tools necessary to deputise for Toney during the course of the ban.

And one department where the Swede has the upper hand over the Boro star is creativity.

Gyokeres registered 11 assists in 2022-23, more than any other player with 10 or more goals in England’s second tier.

The likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa would surely adore a partner with such quality link-up play.

Folarin Balogun

No player aged 21 or under has scored more goals in Europe’s top five leagues than Folarin Balogun at Reims this season.

The Arsenal loanee, 21, has netted 20 times in 35 Ligue 1 appearances but the Gunners still look likely to offload him in order to fund high-profile transfers in other areas.

That presents Brentford with an opportunity to acquire one of the continent’s hottest properties without having to spend an extortionate amount of money.

The American starlet would also be able to replicate Toney’s prolificacy from the spot, having scored six penalties for Les Rouge et Blanc.

Moussa Dembele

French striker Moussa Dembele, 26, will be a free agent when his contract at Lyon expires at the end of the season.

This season has been tough for the ex-Celtic hitman. He has scored only three goals in 23 Ligue 1 appearances, but this campaign may just be an anomaly.

In 2021-22 the France youth international netted 21 times in 30 appearances for Les Gones, improving on his total of 16 from 27 matches in 2019-20.

He could be a risk worth taking for the Bees.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

There are not many strikers in the Premier League who possess the same physical traits as Toney, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin is one of the few.

The 26-year-old ranks third among centre forwards in the division for aerial duels won per 90 minutes, with the Brentford goal machine way back in 13th.

What is more, the Everton ace’s future at his club is in serious doubt, especially if Sean Dyche’s side are demoted to the Championship on the final day.

Of course, his injury record would be a concern for any top flight team. The 11-cap international has been restricted to just 18 appearances this season due to various issues.

This Sunday sees the last round of fixtures in the Premier League, which means that it is the final chance of the season to win big with our free-to-play game LiveScore 6.

Vitally important issues concerning European qualification and relegation will be decided, but nothing will be quite as dramatic as one of our readers winning our jackpot prize.

Open to anyone aged 18 or older and based in the UK, we challenge you to correctly predict the scores of all six of our chosen fixtures.

If one entrant manages that feat, they will win up to £100,000. Should more than one player be successful, the prize money will be split.

For more information on how to play LiveScore 6, click here or read on to reveal our predictions for this week’s fixtures.

Aston Villa vs Brighton (Sunday, 16.30)

Brighton will finish in sixth place and qualify for the Europa League, leaving Aston Villa to fight it out with Tottenham and Brentford for seventh and a spot in the Europa Conference League.

Villa will be more motivated and with the Seagulls having lost three of their last five away games, the home fans could have something to celebrate on the final day.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton

Chelsea vs Newcastle (Sunday, 16.30)

Newcastle have already qualified for the Champions League, but still must be favoured against a Chelsea side that have a woeful record since Frank Lampard returned to the club.

Newcastle have the strength and momentum to inflict another defeat upon the Blues, as they look to finish in third place.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-3 Newcastle

Everton vs Bournemouth (Sunday, 16.30)

The task ahead of Everton is simple even if the execution is unlikely to be. Sean Dyche’s side need to win to stay up. Their own lack of firepower may be their biggest obstacle.

Bournemouth have lost each of their last three games since confirming their safety but with only two teams having scored fewer goals than the Toffees this season, any victory is likely to be tight.

Prediction: Everton 1-0 Bournemouth

Manchester United vs Fulham (Sunday, 16.30)

Manchester United are aiming to finish third, which would be a fine achievement in Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge.

Fulham are unbeaten in three, but this is a real step up in class from their recent opponents so we have to expect a home win.

Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Fulham

Leicester vs West Ham (Sunday, 16.30)

Leicester need to win against West Ham and hope that Everton fail to beat Bournemouth. That could prove to be a tough task for a team that are without a win in five.

The Hammers have ended the season in fine form and the Foxes’ best hope might be that they already have one eye on their upcoming Europa Conference League final.

Prediction: Leicester 2-1 West Ham

Leeds vs Tottenham (Sunday, 16.30)

Leeds are in a similar position to Leicester, with the added complication of having an inferior goal difference to Everton.

Tottenham are perhaps the best opponents the hosts could be facing in this scenario. The Londoners are without an away win in nine and have lost seven of those games.

Prediction: Leeds 3-2 Tottenham

Former St Johnstone director Stan Harris is returning to the club as chief executive as chairman Steve Brown prepares to stand down.

Harris will take a hands-on role in a new position less than two years after stepping down from the board for health reasons.

The chairman is leaving the club next week and his father, majority shareholder Geoff Brown, will assume the role of honorary president.

The reshuffle could now allow Saints to appoint a permanent manager with Steven MacLean the prime candidate after leading the club to cinch Premiership safety in a caretaker role.

Steve Brown, whose vice-chairman Charlie Fraser is also set to leave, said in a statement: “Stan was a brilliant member of our board for 15 years and it’s great to have him back, leading the football club.

“My dad will now become honorary president instead of chairman. We feel that role is more befitting of his overall contribution to St Johnstone over a period of 37 years.”

Harris described his appointment as a “wonderful honour”.

He added: “With Steve Brown standing down as chairman, and the club up for sale, it’s important to have someone at the helm who knows the club inside out. We feel my appointment will help the overall stability and continuity.

“I will lead the board and report to the Brown family.”

Alan Storrar has been appointed to the board with former Saints striker Roddy Grant staying on as director.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Remi Matthews has delivered a farewell message to the club and supporters after his loan spell from Crystal Palace ended.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at St Johnstone,” Matthews said.

“It’s been great for me on the pitch getting to play 35 games. I came here to get game time and I have managed to do that to, what I feel, a good standard.

“I am so relieved to be able to leave the club with their safety secured. I may have only been on loan but I knew how much it meant to everyone and to myself, so I’m delighted to maintain Saints’ top-flight status. St Johnstone are a top-flight club without a shadow of a doubt.

“Macca came in and has done brilliantly, he really lifted the place and did everything he could to give us that final push over the line.

“I’m gutted I won’t be able to get to say a proper goodbye to the fans but it’s time to go home and spend some quality time with my family who, unfortunately, I haven’t seen much this year.

“I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate the love and support you gave me this season. It was an experience I will never forget.”

RB Leipzig and Lazio have enjoyed excellent seasons in the Bundesliga and Serie A and the in-form pair feature along with Union Berlin, Rennes and Monza in our five-strong weekend European accumulator.

Saturday, 2.30pm

Bet 1: Back RB Leipzig to beat Schalke at 5/8

Schalke are scrapping for survival at the bottom of the Bundesliga but they lost 6-0 at Bayern Munich in their last away fixture and face a tough trip to RB Leipzig on the final day of term.

Leipzig dented Bayern’s title hopes with a 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena last weekend, extending their impressive run to six victories in seven games, and they thrashed Schalke 6-1 in January’s reverse fixture.

Saturday, 2.30pm

Bet 2: Back Union Berlin to beat Werder Bremen at 5/12

Union Berlin’s push for Champions League qualification in the Bundesliga has been hampered by recent away defeats at Augsburg and Hoffenheim but they should make no mistake at home to Werder Bremen on the final day of term.

Union have been outstanding on home turf this season, winning 10 and drawing six of their 16 league matches. They have beaten leaders Borussia Dortmund 2-0 and saw off top-four rivals Freiburg 4-2 in their last home game so should be confident of securing three points against a Werder side who have lost eight of their nine fixtures against top-five clubs.

Saturday, 8pm

Bet 3: Back Rennes to beat Monaco at 11/10

Rennes have won 14 of their 18 home matches in Ligue 1 and another victory on Saturday would take them level on points with fourth-placed visitors Monaco with just one game remaining.

Monaco have done well to stay in the hunt for European qualification given this season’s defensive frailties but they run into an in-form Rennes side who have won four of their last six games by 3-0, 4-2, 4-0 and 5-0 scorelines.

Rennes have done the double over table-topping Paris Saint-Germain this term, keeping clean sheets in both of those wins, and they can see off Monaco in their final home fixture of an impressive campaign.

Sunday, 2pm

Bet 4: Back Monza to beat Lecce at 31/20

Monza have been one of the surprise packages in Serie A and a run of five wins in seven, including victories over Italian champions Napoli and Champions League finalists Inter Milan, has taken them into the top eight.

Sunday’s visitors Lecce are still fighting to secure their top-flight status but their motivation is factored into the prices and Monza look a tempting bet to beat opponents who have taken just one point from their last six away matches.

Sunday, 5pm

Bet 5: Back Lazio to beat Cremonese at 2/9

Lazio are in pole position to finish as runners-up to Serie A champions Napoli and they have every chance of ending the season with wins at home to Cremonese and away to Empoli.

The Romans have conceded only 28 goals in 36 matches, beating three of the bottom four to zero at home, and they should be far too strong for relegated Cremonese on Sunday.

The visitors’ only away win of the campaign came at bottom club Sampdoria and they were hammered 5-1 at home to Bologna last weekend.

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Read on as we explain how.

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Step 3: Check the insight, stats and odds

Your results are ordered by the stats. So if you select Premier League, Both Teams to Score and Last 5 matches, the percentages show how often that outcome happened in each team’s recent games. The more often it happened, the higher the match is ranked.

Step 4: Build your bet

Add your selections to our bet slip and transfer them to LiveScore Bet with the click of a button.

Rob Edwards admitted it would be an “incredible story” for Luton midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu to reach the Premier League having been at the club since they were in the National League.

Mpanzu joined from West Ham in 2014 when Luton were languishing in the fifth tier of English football and a win on Saturday in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final against Coventry would be his fourth promotion in 10 seasons.

Over 300 appearances and nine years later, the 29-year-old is potentially 90 minutes away from reaching the top-flight and facing off with his former side next season.

“It would be (a great achievement). I need to stress that it would be an incredible story,” Edwards said.

“I know people have gone from the National League to do incredible things but to do it with one club would be a great story and if we are able to do it there’s not one person I would be more happy for than Pelly.

“He is such an important person around the place and an incredible man, he deserves it but it doesn’t mean we are going to do it, we have to make it happen but it would be great for him.

“He’s the heartbeat of the group because he’s been here so long, an honest guy, very hard-working and he’s just stepped up. To do one more level would be incredible.”

Mpanzu felt his transfer to Luton was a risk but since praised the club’s mentality and belief as a key factor to their stark success over the last decade.

And Luton’s current longest serving player believed he would one day return to the Premier League.

“It has been a risk but here we are moments away from the Premier League, it’s been a good experience and I don’t want it to end on Saturday,” Mpanzu added.

“I knew my ability would get me back there (Premier League), obviously you have got to have a great team around you and support, but when you have belief and know you can rise back to the top, Luton have done that in a short space of time.

“Going from non-league to the Premier League with one club would be crazy.”

Defender Dan Potts played with Mpanzu at West Ham before rejoining his former team-mate at Kenilworth Road in 2015.

Mpanzu looked back at the pair’s comeback story since leaving the Hammers, saying: “He followed me here and he told me he was signing.

“I told him the team is going places and he’s been a good signing. He’s stuck with me through thick and thin.

“It’s mad we were both at West Ham and now one game away from the Premiership so it’s been a real journey with him also.”

Pep Guardiola believes the perceived injustice of Erling Haaland’s disallowed goal in Wednesday’s thrilling 1-1 draw at Brighton proves Manchester City are Premier League champions on their own merits.

City top scorer Haaland looked to have claimed a late winner at the Amex Stadium but his close-range header from Cole Palmer’s cross was ruled out after VAR spotted a shirt pull on Levi Colwill.

Guardiola was visibly angered by the decision after seeing a replay on the big screen inside the ground and was later shown a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper for his ongoing protestations.

The City boss claims 36-goal striker Haaland has endured similar physical contact from defenders all season and feels the incident shows his side have not benefited from favourable refereeing calls during their charge to the title.

“If it’s disallowed, every action to Erling Haaland by all central defenders is a fault,” he said.

“Every action. And we saw one or two (on Wednesday).

“It’s a goal because he’s bigger, he’s stronger, he won the position (from Colwill) and it was an incredible action from Cole Palmer and the goal should be given.

“But that proved that what we won on the pitch belongs to us, not anyone gave us anything.

“He has bruises on all of his body after the games. If he’s faulting in the disallowed goal, every action to him is a fault and never happens.”

Haaland, who squandered two excellent first-half chances, nodded home 11 minutes from time in front of the travelling fans after Julio Enciso’s stunning strike cancelled out Phil Foden’s opener.

A gripping south-coast contest halted City’s top-flight winning streak at 12 games but mattered little in the context of their season.

Guardiola’s men enjoyed alcohol-fuelled celebrations after lifting the Premier League trophy following Sunday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea and are bidding to complete the treble with FA Cup and Champions League glory.

Following Sunday’s visit to Brentford, City face rivals Manchester United at Wembley on June 3 before attempting to become European champions for the first time against Inter Milan in Istanbul a week later.

Guardiola has defensive issues moving towards the two finals after Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Manuel Akanji missed the trip to Sussex.

Jack Grealish was also absent, while John Stones and Foden were withdrawn during the game as a precaution.

“Phil had a knock in the first half and problems in his leg and the doctor told me that in this position it is dangerous so we don’t take a risk,” said Guardiola.

“John at the end was a little tight but he didn’t feel anything and is fine, he told me, but we didn’t want to take a risk because we had just one central defender with John.

“The others are injured so hopefully they can recover as soon as possible.

“We sustained no injuries for a long time but the moment we get near the Champions League final, four or five players get little niggles – important ones – and we have to recover them.”

Sixth-placed Brighton cemented their spot in next season’s Europa League with the midweek point.

Pascal Gross, the Seagulls’ first signing following promotion to the top flight in 2017, told his club’s website: “I’m so proud of the boys, what an achievement for us.

“We can’t wait for the Europa League. What a season ahead.”

Paraguayan Enciso’s spectacular equaliser followed another goal of the season contender from the 19-year-old in last month’s 2-1 win at Chelsea.

“He can have it (goal of the season),” said Gross. “Two incredible goals.

“What I like more, he’s getting better and better. It’s not easy coming from far away abroad with no English.

“But he’s improving speaking English, he’s improving adapting to the group, a good guy and I think there’s much more to come.”