Pep Guardiola hails Man City squad strength in historic quadruple bid

Manchester City 2 Cardiff City 0

There were no slip-ups from Manchester City on Wednesday evening as they moved back above Liverpool to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at home against Cardiff City.

It would have been a major shock if the Sky Blues had lost against the relegation-threatened Welsh side, but that never looked likely once Kevin de Bruyne scored in the sixth minute.

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Leroy Sane made it 2-0 just before the break, ensuring an eighth successive league win for the defending champions.

Pep Guardiola’s side now lead the Reds by a point with six matches remaining, and the City manager even enjoyed the luxury of fielding a weakened team against Cardiff as he looks to keep his squad fresh for their hunt for an historic quadruple.

“We have a good squad and without it we cannot fight for the four competitions,” said Guardiola.

“It’s impossible. We are here in April because we have confidence in the players. These players have helped us, they are not guys who did not play for two months and are not happy.”

Leaders Man City have already won the league cup, and are through to the Champions League quarter-final. They play in the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Premier League results

Tuesday 2 April

• Watford 4 Fulham 1
• Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Manchester United 1

Wednesday 3 April

• Chelsea 3 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
• Manchester City 2 Cardiff City 0
• Tottenham Hotspur 2 Crystal Palace 0

Premier League fixtures and TV guide

Friday 5 April

• Southampton vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on Sky Sports)

Saturday 6 April

• AFC Bournemouth vs. Burnley (3pm)
• Huddersfield Town vs. Leicester City (3pm)
• Newcastle United vs. Crystal Palace (3pm)

Sunday 7 April

• Everton vs. Arsenal (2.05pm, live on Sky Sports)

Monday 8 April

• Chelsea vs. West Ham United (8pm, live on Sky Sports)

FA Cup semi-final fixtures

Saturday 6 April

• Manchester City vs. Brighton and Hove Albion (5.30pm, live on BBC One)

Sunday 7 April

• Watford vs. Wolves (4pm, live on BT Sport)