Share
11th May 2024
06:07pm BST
Josko Gvardiol has explained why he turned down the chance to take a penalty and complete his hat trick in Manchester City's win against Fulham.
City cruised to a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage to pile the pressure on Arsenal as they know that they have a game in hand against Spurs on Tuesday.
Gvardiol himself was in top form, scoring two goals - one in the first half and one in the second - to continue his hot streak of form.
Pep Guardiola's side were then awarded a penalty in the 97th minute, which Julian Alvarez converted.
Had the Croatian taken it, he'd have become the first defender in Premier League history to net a hat trick but he instead allowed Alvarez to take it.
After the game he was asked by TNT Sports why he turned it down, to which he responded: "Another two goals for me and of course another clean sheet. Really happy.
"We discussed about me taking the penalty, and of course I would have liked to, but we have a taker and he takes them.
"At the end Julian came on and he took it to score the goal."
Now, you might be thinking, defender Steve Watson once scored a hat trick in a Premier League game, didn't he? In many ways, you're right.
Back in 2003, Watson netted three of the best in a win against Leeds United but it didn't meet the criteria of first defender to score a hat trick as he wasn't playing in defence on that game day.
If Arsenal are to lose against Manchester United on Sunday, City can win the league if they beat Spurs away.
Related links:
Explore more on these topics:
