Pep Guardiola may have been born in Catalonia, but his heart is firmly in East London when it comes to the Premier League title race. The Manchester City boss ended his post-match press conference after a commanding 3-0 win over Brentford with a cheeky "Come on you Irons" – a rallying cry aimed directly at West Ham before their crucial clash with Arsenal this Sunday.
The victory, powered by a stunning curler from Jeremy Doku, a scrappy Erling Haaland finish, and a late Omar Marmoush strike, lifts City to within two points of league leaders Arsenal. But with their destiny no longer in their own hands after a dramatic 3-3 draw at Everton earlier this week, Guardiola knows he needs favors from the Hammers to keep the title race alive.
"I love to be here again," Guardiola smiled, reflecting on another thrilling title chase. "We finish second again this season minimum, so I love it. I didn't enjoy last season when we were fighting just to qualify for the Champions League."
The match itself was a tale of two halves. City looked unsettled early on against a Brentford side pushing for European qualification, with the visitors even having two penalty shouts waved away by referee Michael Salisbury. But Doku, who scored twice against Everton just days earlier, proved to be the game's catalyst once again. The Belgian winger terrorized Brentford right-back Michael Kayode all evening before breaking the deadlock on the hour mark with a sublime curled effort.
"This season he made a step forward that players must do," Guardiola said of Doku's development. "In good teams, you always need people up front – not just Erling, but attacking midfielders and wingers need to make actions like that to win games."
Haaland bundled home the second shortly after, before turning provider for Marmoush to seal the win in stoppage time. The result keeps City firmly in the hunt as they chase an unprecedented treble, with the Carabao Cup already secured and an FA Cup final at Wembley on the horizon.
For fans of the beautiful game – and those who love a bit of Premier League drama – Sunday's clash at the London Stadium just got a whole lot more interesting. And for City supporters, that "Come on you Irons" chant might just become their new favorite song.