Pep Guardiola cannot feel happy despite defeating Liverpool

A shadow over Man City's emotional 2-1 victory against Liverpool in the Premier League prevented Pep Guardiola from fully enjoying the win.

The Etihad Stadium hosts had to face another worrying injury. Young center-back Abdukodir Khusanov was forced to leave the pitch early due to a concussion after a dangerous collision, complicating Man City's personnel situation even further.

The incident happened in the second half when Khusanov dived to block a dangerous shot from Cody Gakpo. In an attempt to intervene, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma accidentally struck his teammate’s face with his knee. The strong impact caused the Uzbek defender to fall in pain, prompting Man City's medical staff to act immediately.

Although Khusanov was able to stand after receiving treatment and expressed a desire to continue playing, Man City's doctors refused to take risks. According to medical evaluation, the 21-year-old showed signs of a concussion and needed absolute protection. Therefore, Pep Guardiola had to use the special substitution rule for concussion cases, bringing Ruben Dias back onto the field earlier than planned.

According to Premier League rules, concussion substitutions do not count against the usual five substitutions, but this did not ease Guardiola’s concerns. Khusanov’s availability for the next match against Fulham remains uncertain, especially given the congested schedule that leaves Man City little time to recover.

Before the injury, Khusanov had been performing steadily and gradually earning the coaching staff’s trust. He started five consecutive Premier League matches and completed the full 90 minutes in the last four games. However, an ankle injury earlier in the season limited him to only 20 appearances across all competitions this season.

Notably, Khusanov’s injury increased Man City's list of injured players to six, despite Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva recently returning. Dias had been sidelined for eight matches due to a hamstring injury, while Bernardo Silva has just regained full fitness.

The injury crisis at Etihad is expected to continue in the short term. Savinho is one of the few likely to return soon, while John Stones is almost certain to be out until at least the FA Cup match against Salford City next weekend. Jeremy Doku might come back this month, but Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol will have to wait until March and April to fully recover.