Pep Guardiola says Manchester City ‘took a step forward’ despite AC Milan loss

Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City side were better than their first game despite losing to AC Milan in pre-season.

The Premier League champions lost 3-2 to the Serie A side in New York, just a few days after they lost to Scottish champions Celtic.

Erling Haaland scored again to steer his side into the lead after being found by Oscar Bobb.

Lorenzo Colombo equalised for Milan and then put them in a front just before half-time.

James McAtee headed home in the second half to level things at 2-2 but Marco Nasti scored the winner from the edge of the box for AC Milan.

After the match, Guardiola said: “We were better than the first game.

“It was a step forward – no injuries, minutes in our legs, another test – and now we fly to another game in a few days.”

FULL-TIME | An entertaining duel ⚔️

🩵 2-3 🔴 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/oQcVrvc7bX

— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 28, 2024

Villa defeated

Elsewhere, Aston Villa were beaten 4-1 by Columbus Crew in the US.

Emiliano Buendia made his long-awaited return to action having been sidelined since last August with a knee injury.

Unai Emery said: “The best news is his comeback.

“Emiliano Buendia’s comeback after one year.

“We are happy with his return and we have to work now with him trying to get the best of him progressively.

“The first 30 minutes he played, really, is fantastic for us and for the team.”

New signings Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen both got their first minutes as Villans, but they did not come on until they were already 4-1 down.

Emery added: “Of course, the result is not good but, for us, now the result is not the most important.

“Most important is to build a team, get information about the players, and this was the first match for some players, and they played well. Even losing, they played well.”

Full-time in Columbus. pic.twitter.com/L9aCFPVIaB

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 28, 2024

Hammers humbled

Julen Lopetegui was beaten 3-1 by his former side Wolves in Florida.

Stormy weather put the match on halt temporarily but it did not take long for Matheus Cunha to put the Midlands side ahead.

Mohammed Kudus equalised before  Rodrigo Gomes bagged a brace to give Wolves a 3-1 win.

Cunha did come off with an injury and Gary O’Neil says the Brazilian was feeling pain in his knee.

He said: “He [Cunha] felt a slight pain behind his knee.

“It’s disappointing. With the game being delayed and the wet pitch, they work so hard and are finely tuned, so it doesn’t take much to throw them.

“Matheus is incredibly important to us, but the early signs don’t look bad. He won’t be risked again until he’s completely fine, so the next few days I can provide an update.”

Lopetegui replaced David Moyes as head coach of West Ham this summer and admitted there is a lot to work on for the remainder of pre-season.

He said: “We have a lot of work to do in front of us.”

Valuable minutes gained in Florida. pic.twitter.com/zWHIIfzCqZ

— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 28, 2024