Pep Guardiola labelled Kalvin Phillips a "perfect" replacement for Fernandinho as he weighed up whether to hand the England midfielder his first Manchester City start against Newcastle United.
Guardiola also revealed talks with Phillips' former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa proved crucial to City's decision to recruit the 26-year-old.
Phillips joined City from Leeds in a deal worth up to £45million in July, but he is yet to make a first competitive start for the Premier League champions after picking up an injury in training.
But with Phillips back to full fitness and looking to make his full debut when City visit St. James' Park on Sunday, Guardiola has revealed how he was alerted to the midfielder's quality when Bielsa was coaching him in the second tier of English football.
"He [Bielsa] spoke about him three or four years ago," Guardiola said. "He spoke about him when he was in the Championship.
"It was the first time I realised Kalvin Phillips played for Leeds and he [Bielsa] spoke with me: 'There is a guy who is really, really good, maybe not now for Manchester City but maybe one day he can play in the top teams.'
"After he proved Marcelo was not wrong, [he was] promoted to Premier League and national team.
"The steps they have done is for Kalvin's and Leeds' credit. After Fernandinho decided to go to Brazil, the rest is history.
"We were looking for a holding midfielder and we thought he was perfect for us."
Phillips helped Leeds to a ninth-placed finish upon their return to the Premier League in the 2020-21 campaign, and started every match for England as they fell narrowly short of victory at Euro 2020 last year.
And the City boss is confident he will provide stern competition for Rodri in the City midfield immediately, adding: "We don't have doubts, he is a national-team England player, he was working with Marcelo Bielsa, he's British, that helps in the Premier League a lot, too.
"Last season he had injuries and you have to be careful right now with the little disturbances he had last week, to try to avoid it in the future. I am sure he is going to adapt.
"Of course he is going to have to know some things we are doing, now is the step forward for him in that position.
"When September starts it is a game every three days, we will need him and he will prove how valuable he is – we don't have doubts.
"We know he is an exceptional person; that helps a lot. We knew Kyle [Walker] and John [Stones] for the feel of the English national team players, so he has settled perfectly and so quick."
Day of drama sets up thrilling WSL finale as Chelsea hit back in title race
Manchester City approached Sunday's Women's Super League fixtures with the title race firmly in their hands, their meeting with Arsenal giving them a chance to put one hand on the trophy.
City's chances of a first WSL title since 2016 had received a massive boost in midweek as rivals Chelsea suffered a stunning 4-3 defeat to Liverpool.
That result sent shockwaves through the league and left the Blues' hopes of a fifth straight WSL success hanging by a thread, so much so that boss Emma Hayes declared the title race to be over.
Chelsea entered the weekend six points behind City with a game in hand, with Gareth Taylor's team also leading the way on goal difference by seven goals and potentially needing just one win to take the title.
However, this rollercoaster of a season took yet another turn on a super Sunday for the ages.
The early kick-off
It was an emotional start to the day at the Joie Stadium, as City waved goodbye to club legend Steph Houghton ahead of their final home game of the season, giving her a guard of honour for a decade of service in sky blue.
As expected, the game matched the electric atmosphere created by a record crowd of 5,409 fans, with both teams looking to get on the front foot in a high-octane start to the game.
Lauren Hemp proved once again why both Taylor and Sarina Wiegman put so much faith in her, receiving a lay-off from Leila Ouahabi and finding room to smash her shot into the corner 17 minutes in, leaving Manuela Zinsberger with no chance.
Hemp has now contributed to at least one goal in each of her last four WSL appearances (two goals, three assists), but she and her city team-mates would rue their missed opportunities after a dominant first half.
After the interval, Arsenal showed why they had been so close to Chelsea and City for much of this campaign.
Substitute Stina Blackstenius, having denied Chelsea their first opportunity of silverware in the League Cup final, was also the villain of City's story, poking home from close range after City failed to deal with a corner after 89 minutes.
The drama was not done there, though, with Blackstenius delivering an even bigger blow to City's title chances three minutes later. Kim Little floated her pass over the hosts' defence, and the Swede was totally unmarked as she headed home two minutes into stoppage time.
Arsenal have now scored eight goals via substitutes in the WSL this campaign, a tally only bettered by Manchester United (nine). The Gunners have also scored 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, with United (16) the only team with more in that period.
City boss Taylor cut a disappointed figure after the game, telling BBC Sport: "I always said I thought it would go to the final game and it's never changed. We knew what we had to do.
"We will pick ourselves up. We've always reacted well to negative results. We wanted to be in control and we've lost a little bit of that, but we still have one more game.
"It's not easy. You've seen today how the momentum can be in your favour and quickly be taken from you.
"Chelsea opened the door the other night and we've opened it back again a little bit. It is what it is, but nothing has changed in our thought process."
Arsenal have now won 13 points from losing positions in the WSL this season, more than any other team. Jonas Eidevall's side just fell short of being involved in the title picture themselves, but their win on Sunday kept rivals Chelsea in with a realistic shot of glory.
"Those sorts of things, we can't really control," he told BBC Sport. "It just shows what we are as a team and that we never give up.
"We put in a really strong performance and now it's up to other teams to put in strong performances. It's not really any of my business who is going to win."
The late kick-off
Later on Sunday, it was Chelsea's turn to provide an emotional farewell, with Emma Hayes taking charge of her final game at Kingsmeadow as she prepares to take the United States job after 12 years with the Blues.
Hayes was welcomed to the field with rapturous applause, looking emotional as she held the hand of her son Harry, surveying the home crowd for the final time as Chelsea manager. Sunday's match also represented a home send-off for the club's leading goalscorer Fran Kirby and defender Maren Mjelde, both of whom will leave this summer.
Having suffered Champions League heartache and seen their title hopes dented in a week to forget, Hayes' team had nothing to lose against already-relegated Bristol City, and that is exactly how they played.
Hayes made six changes to her lineup and the tiredness that plagued Chelsea in midweek was gone, the Blues never looking back once they went ahead through Guro Reiten's sixth-minute penalty.
Sjoeke Nusken struck a scrappy second before the in-form Aggie Beever-Jones added a third shortly after the break. Reiten then added a fourth with a screamer from outside the area.
Knowing the importance of goal difference after City's slip-up, Chelsea continued to throw players forward. Macario slid in Reiten to clinch her hat-trick from a tight angle, and after Niamh Charles had made it 6-0, the Norwegian added her fourth of the game with another rasping long-range strike.
Reiten then turned provider and crossed for Beever-Jones to head in Chelsea's eighth. Beever-Jones has now contributed to eight goals in her last five league games (six goals, two assists), stepping up after injuries deprived the Blues of key players.
Chelsea were clinical with their 20 shots, scoring eight goals in a WSL game for the first time since beating Leicester City by the same scoreline in December 2022 to put Wednesday's defeat firmly in the rearview mirror.
Now one better off than City on goal difference, Chelsea know a victory over Tottenham in their game in hand on Wednesday will take them top ahead of the final set of fixtures on Saturday.
Hayes addressed the home faithful at Kingsmeadow with her players watching on after the game, rowing back on her earlier claim that the title race was over.
"Let me be clear. It is not over," she declared. "There is no time for sentimentality. All work drinks are cancelled, there is a title to be won.
"You know what? That group of players taught me something so special this week; that you never ever give up. This is what it means to be Chelsea."
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hayes added: "We wanted to make sure it was a game to remember for the fans.
"That shows when you have belief. I said to the players that if Man City slip up, we had to be ready. Today was another opportunity to get closer to something that was slipping out of our grasp.
"If you told me at the beginning of the day Arsenal would beat City in the last five minutes and we would win 8-0, what are the odds of that? I'm super proud. Days like today are everything Chelsea represents."
The Opta Supercomputer still makes City favourites after a dramatic day, though, giving Taylor's team a 55.1 per cent chance of breaking Chelsea's dominance and spoiling Hayes' leaving party.
Lopetegui agrees to succeed Moyes as West Ham manager – reports
Julen Lopetegui has reportedly agreed to succeed David Moyes as West Ham manager, with the Scot set to leave the London Stadium when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Despite overseeing three successive European campaigns and delivering the Europa Conference League trophy last season, Moyes has continued to face fierce pressure from sections of the West Ham fanbase.
He claimed to have been offered a new contract earlier this season but said he would hold off on making a final decision regarding his future until the end of the campaign.
West Ham sit ninth in the Premier League table after being thrashed 5-0 by Chelsea on Sunday, with their hopes of European qualification all but over following a drop-off since the turn of the year.
Several coaches have been suggested as contenders to replace Moyes, with Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim apologising to his current club after holding talks with the Hammers hierarchy in London last month.
On Monday, however, widespread reports claimed West Ham had reached an agreement in principle with Lopetegui, who left his last job with Wolves on the eve of the Premier League season.
Lopetegui saved Wolves from relegation last term but left the club just three days before the start of 2023-24, having grown frustrated with a lack of transfer activity at Molineux.
He previously led Sevilla to three straight fourth-placed finishes in LaLiga between 2019 and 2022, also overseeing their 3-2 victory over Inter in the 2019-20 Europa League final.
Lopetegui – who has also managed Porto, Spain and Real Madrid – had also been linked with Bayern Munich and Milan, though fan protests derailed his chances of taking charge of the Rossoneri.
Haaland pinpoints collective Man City quality after four-goal blitz of Wolves
Erling Haaland blasted four goals past Wolves in a one-man Premier League show but the Manchester City forward says it would not be possible without manager Pep Guardiola or his team-mates.
The City talisman took his top-flight tally to 25 for this season, moving five clear of his nearest challenger in the Premier League Golden Boot race, after Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Wolves.
Haaland was twice on target from the penalty spot as part of his first-half hat-trick, adding another after the interval with an arrowed strike into the top-left corner.
It was the first time the Norway star has managed four goals in one Premier League game, with his quartet of strikes coming in 54 minutes. Only Gabriel Jesus has scored as many earlier in one match, doing so in 53 minutes against Watford in April 2022.
Haaland also became the third player to score multiple first-half hat-tricks in Premier League history (also against Nottingham Forest last season), along with Andrew Cole and Michael Owen (two each).
Yet the superstar attacker says his exploits would not be possible without his City colleagues or boss Guardiola.
"I've got a not-too-bad manager who pushes me and look at the players around me," Haaland told Sky Sports when asked about his motivations.
"Without them, it would not be possible. Look ahead, look to next one – four finals left for the season. We're going to go for it and focus on Fulham."
It was Haaland's sixth Premier League hat-trick for City, with only seven players netting more in the competition’s history. All six of those trebles have been at the Etihad, only three have more at a single venue.
Haaland's second strike came from a towering header following Rodri's right-wing centre, which he suggested would delight his father Alfie.
"That's a beautiful goal," the Norwegian said of his headed finish. "My father is going to be happy with that one.
"A nice celebration, I enjoyed that one. I'm scoring more headers, I try to develop and keep going."
City are within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal and Guardiola's side still have a game in hand against Tottenham on May 14.
Despite the thrashing of Wolves, Haaland insists Guardiola remains intent on winning the remaining games, rather than calculating the probabilities needed on goal difference.
"First of all it's about winning the games but, of course, you want to have the best possible goal difference," he added. "Let's not think about that. Think about Fulham."
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