Josko Gvardiol was denied the chance to take a penalty and score a Premier League hat-trick against Fulham.
The Manchester City player came dangerously close to becoming the first defender to score a hat-trick in Premier League history.
Jokso Gvardiol has admitted that he was tempted to convert the injury-time penalty that would have given him a historic hat-trick in Manchester City’s victory over Fulham on Saturday.
The Croatian defender opened the score at Craven Cottage with a goal after 19 passes, and in the 71st minute, he poked in a cross from Bernardo Silva at the back post. Thus, all eyes were on Gvardiol to see if he would be handed the responsibility and the chance to become the first defender in Premier League history to score three goals in a single game when City, who were leading by three goals, were awarded a late penalty.
There was no altercation or disagreement between the players, but the 22-year-old was having a conversation with Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker. Rather, Julian Alvarez was the one who immediately set up the shot and beat Bernd Leno to make it 4-0.
After the game, Gvardiol stated that if given the opportunity, he would have accepted the penalty. Two more goals and a spotless record. “I’m content,” he said to TNT Sports. “We were talking about me accepting a penalty, and I said, ‘Yeah, I would take it, but we know who takes, he takes. Julian was the winner in the end, and I’m glad he scored.
Gvardiol, who had not scored in his first 32 City appearances, has now scored five goals in seven. When asked whether he was acting differently, the former player for RB Leipzig said, “No, I just think that is normal in sport.” Right now, I’m in good shape. There are three more finals left in the season, so we need to be prepared.
Regarding the exhibit at Craven Cottage, he continued, “Another fantastic performance.” Not only from the team, but also from myself. Even though it was really challenging, we proved today who we are and what we can handle.
With the victory, City moves ahead of Arsenal—at least until their Sunday match against Manchester United—and the goal differential drops to just two. Goal difference is something we discuss and work toward, Gvardiol acknowledged. “It’s not easy because Arsenal is doing quite well and has quality as well.”
