The Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for his outstanding players after the Premier League champions after a masterclass show on Sunday where they demolished Chelsea 6-0.
The club has recorded a third league victory in eight days and the win followed a midweek win at Everton which had seen Guardiola’s side go top for the first time since 15 December.
They also won against Arsenal last weekend, which had been preceded by a shocking defeat by minnows Newcastle.
While speaking during a post-match press conference, Guardiola thanked his players for an outstanding performance.
“I just said to them thank you for what they have done,” he said.
“After Newcastle, we spoke to each other and put ourselves in front of a mirror and accepted the reality. After that we worked, moved forward.
“After three games in a week – tough games against Arsenal and at Goodison Park – playing the way we played with this intensity and patience to find spaces in the right moments, the players were outstanding.
“We are there, we are the leaders, but Liverpool have one more game [in hand].”
It was a landmark day for Sergio Aguero who registered a second hat-trick in three games to make it nine goals in his last six matches in all competitions. The Argentine equaled Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 11 hat-tricks and became the club’s record league goalscorer with 160.
“I have said many times, Sergio scores every single season a lot of goals,” Guardiola praised the forward.
“I admire these kind of players, the consistency. Young players come but some stay for a long time – that is fantastic.
“To score six against Chelsea and the way we played, we had so much attention. We did it, it’s an incredible compliment to the players – they are outstanding,” he added.
Guardiola’s side now have three cup fixtures before returning to league action, with Newport County up first in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday.