By Sean Walsh
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola joked his back was hurting when he fell to the floor late on during their 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur.
The champions needed to beat Spurs on Tuesday to move above Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table heading into the final day of the season.
After a nervy first half, City took the lead shortly after the interval through Erling Haaland, but withstood a barrage of Tottenham pressure until the latter stages.
With five minutes remaining, Brennan Johnson pinched the ball off a sleeping Manuel Akanji and Son Heung-min burst through to goal, only to be denied by a stunning save from Stefan Ortega, who came on as a substitute for the injured Ederson.
Guardiola collapsed to the floor and fell onto his back as Son raced clear, with the Spaniard explaining his extravagant reaction in his post-match press conference.
"I had problems with my back and that position is better!" Guardiola laughed. "Oh god! Do you know how many times Son punishes us in the last seven or eight years? Can I tell you how many goals they score against us with Harry Kane?
"Oh my god. I said, 'no not again'. But then Stefan made an incredible save because he has this talent. In the one against one, he is one of the best keepers I have every seen in my life. It's a German culture, - stand up, don't go down. He's really, really good.
"Since he arrives he plays in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, even this season Ederson has four set-backs for injuries and he is always so reliable. He's an incredible, incredible keeper, so our keeper trainer made an incredible decision to bring him here."
After Son's miss, Haaland converted a last-minute penalty to wrap up the points for the visitors.
City will wrap up the Premier League title if they match or better Arsenal's result on Sunday. Guardiola's side host West Ham United, while Everton travel to the Emirates Stadium.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Pep Guardiola explains dramatic 'oh my god!' reaction to Son Heung-min miss.
