Guardiola insists 'Stefan Ortega has saved us. Otherwise Arsenal are Premier League champions'

Just like Arsenal, Spurs had a lot at stake in their match against Manchester City on Tuesday night. A Spurs loss would have meant them missing out on Champions League football and ruining their flawless record against City at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium. But when it really counted, they ended up losing and couldn’t even manage to secure a draw.

There has been a lot of talk surrounding the 2-0 victory of Manchester City over Spurs, but one intriguing statement has been made by City manager Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard pointed out that it will be remembered it was Stefan Ortega, not Erling Haaland (who scored the two goals) that may have prevented Arsenal from winning the league.

Why so? one may ask. So, about 18 minutes after replacing Ederson, who had to be subbed off due to an injury scare, the Man City backup goalie made a great save in the 87th minute. Spurs’ Heung Min Son skillfully manoeuvred through the City defence and found himself in a one-on-one situation with Ortega.

However, the City goalie made an impressive block, preventing him from scoring. If Spurs had managed to equalise, the game would have most likely ended in a draw. A goal would have surely motivated Spurs to salvage something from the match. It would have been a huge boost to Arsenal’s title charge if the game ended in a draw or if Manchester City lost. Guardiola clearly understands the importance of Ortega’s 1 on 1 save in their pursuit of the title, as he couldn’t hide his delight for that important action of play.

“Stefan Ortega has saved us. Otherwise Arsenal are Premier League champions” said Pep in the Guardian. “He has done this since he arrived. We saw the level of keeper he is. He makes incredible saves and does it so many times.”

On PL D-Day, Arsenal still have a shot at winning the league. If they can defeat Everton by a significant margin and if West Ham manages to secure a draw against Man City, or even better, beat them, then our Gunners lift the PL title.