Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed his newly-crowned Premier League champions “drank all the alcohol in Manchester” ahead of a pulsating 1-1 draw at Brighton.
Guardiola was concerned his treble-chasing side may suffer a hangover in Sussex following the jubilation of the weekend’s title celebrations.
But the Spaniard was pleasantly surprised by the performance of his players during a gripping south-coast contest.
Phil Foden fired City ahead at the Amex Stadium before Julio Enciso’s stunning equaliser cemented sixth-placed Albion’s place in next season’s Europa League.
Erling Haaland was denied a late winner due to VAR spotting his shirt pull on Seagulls defender Levi Colwill.
“I was a little bit worried about how much we would drop our (level) with what we had done the last four, five, six months,” said Guardiola.
“Forty hours (ago) we drank all the alcohol in Manchester and the way they played was outstanding.
“I enjoyed it a lot, especially being champions.
“You have to come here to win the game, we know it will be tough. They are a fantastic team in all departments, that’s why they are in the Europa League, well deserved.
“And also we showed why we are the best team in England.”
Guardiola had a relatively early night after the trophy presentation which followed Sunday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea, while City’s players recovered with saunas the next day.
“At 10.30pm, I was in bed with my wife, I was exhausted,” he said.
“I watched Match of the Day and I slept like a baby but I know the players did what they have to do.
“When you win the Premier League you have to celebrate. They did it with the families, they enjoyed it a lot and the next morning was just sauna time.
“And the day after, we talked a little bit in the afternoon: ‘Guys, we have to be ready for Brighton’ and they did it.”
City, who complete a victorious top-flight campaign at Brentford on Sunday, were given a guard of honour by their hosts ahead of kick-off.
Foden opened the scoring in the 25th minute with his fifth goal in as many starts against the Seagulls before Enciso’s spectacular finish halted City’s top-flight winning streak at 12 games.
Guardiola believes the high-level contest will be vital preparation for the forthcoming FA Cup final against Manchester United, which is followed by a Champions League showdown with Inter Milan in Istanbul.
“We need these opponents to bring us in our maximum,” he said. “This is so important. Brentford will be the same.
“It’s really, really good the teams help us maintain that level because the finals you have to play in that level otherwise it will be so difficult.”
Guardiola was hopeful regarding the knocks which forced off Foden and John Stones, while confirming the absentees – Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish – have injury issues.
The thrilling encounter was a fitting final home game of an unforgettable campaign for record-breaking Brighton and banished the remote chance of them slipping into the Europa Conference League on the final day at seventh-placed Aston Villa.
Seagulls head coach Roberto De Zerbi said: “I am happy because we have to respect our club, our fans but we have to show the courage, show we believe in ourselves to win against the best team in the world.
“We needed one point. We didn’t receive a gift. We deserved to make a point today.
“I am really proud because I think today has been one of the best games in this season.
“(It was) very tough but we played with an incredible quality. We deserve to play in the Europa League for our mentality.”
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash
Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.
Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.
A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.
"I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.
"I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.
"They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."
The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.
"When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.
"They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.
"Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."
After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).
Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.
"Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.
"We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."
Martino resigns as Inter Miami coach after early playoff exit
Gerardo Martino has resigned as Inter Miami's head coach due to personal reasons, the MLS side have confirmed.
The Argentine ends his 17-month stint in charge of the Herons following their MLS Cup exit just under a fortnight ago.
Martino, who oversaw Miami's Leagues Cup triumph soon after his arrival last season, guided the franchise to this year's Supporters' Shield with a regular-season record tally of 74 points.
However, they were eliminated by his former side Atlanta United in round one of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Miami opened their best-of-three series against Atlanta with a 2-1 win, only to lose by the same scoreline in Game 2 before falling to a dramatic 3-2 defeat in the decider.
“It has been an honour to work at such a special club, and to lead such a special team," Martino said.
"I’ve enjoyed my stay at Inter Miami and will treasure the memories made and relationships forged here for the rest of my life.
"I depart with nothing but gratitude for my time here and would like to offer sincere thanks to everyone that made it possible."
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