Manchester City winger Ilkay Gundogan feels they slipped up badly in losing to Brentford in their final match before the World Cup break.
The champions slumped to surprise 2-1 reverse at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to fall five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
It was a not a happy note to sign off on as domestic football now shuts down for more than a month for the World Cup.
Following the loss, Gundogan admitted that he was disappointed with his side’s performance.
“We conceded a goal in the first 20 minutes which we knew was exactly what they wanted,” the City captain said. “Sometimes it is difficult to have an explanation. I don’t know, there is no excuse.
“Of course, it is disappointing and frustrating for me. I couldn’t sort out my feet quick enough [for the missed chance] and maybe I should have taken a touch.
“In general, I kind of disagree that we had chances in the second half. It felt like we crossed a lot of balls in areas where Erling [Haaland] was, but he was always against three men.
“I felt like especially getting the ball in between the lines of their defence because their back four or five was quite deep, I felt like there was no space between the midfield and the back five. I also tried to make a few runs to the first post and every time I ran there, I felt like I was so free because Erling got all of the attention.”
“It is difficult to try and find the right balance between looking to score a winning goal and not conceding another one,” he added. “If you look after their second goal, they could have even scored a third one. We were just so open.
“Conceding the second goal from our own corner, it should not happen. We cannot allow this to happen, especially in that minute. Unfortunately, that cost us points.”
City head into the World Cup break five points behind Arsenal now after the Gunners beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in the West Midlands. The Blues’ next game after the World Cup finals is a tough clash with Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
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