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• Man City refused to feel sorry for themselves after Luton opener – Pep Guardiola

  Pep Guardiola said Manchester City refused to “feel sorry for ourselves” after going in a goal down at half-time against Luton before hitting back to claim a 2-1 Premier League triumph at Kenilworth Road.

  The hosts looked on course to inflict a fifth-consecutive winless game on City when Elijah Adebayo rose at the back post to head in Andros Townsend’s cross on the stroke of the interval.

  It was just reward for an opening period in which they had weathered the champions’ early pressure well, with Guardiola’s side resorting to shooting from distance after goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski had denied them with a string of fine saves, most impressively from Phil Foden’s low drive.

  And Rob Edwards’ side held their lead beyond the hour mark as a stunning victory appeared within reach, until the champions turned the game on its head inside of three whirlwind minutes.

  First, Bernardo Silva pounced on a loose ball to lash home an equaliser into the bottom corner before Jack Grealish stabbed between the legs of Kaminski to send Luton to their second narrow home defeat in five days.

  And Guardiola said his players did not allow the prospect of losing for the second time in a week and ending the weekend seven points off the Premier League summit to distract them in the second half.

  “The most important thing to change the dynamic is winning games,” he said. “That helps a lot.

  “We didn’t get results sometimes when we deserved, but that’s what it is.

  “Today was a good test for the fact that we played a really, really good first half against this type of team, this type of stadium. We did it perfect. We concede not much, created enough chances to score.”

  City went down 1-0 away to Aston Villa on Wednesday having previously dropped points in draws with Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea.

  Victory at Luton ensured they stayed in touch with the sides above them in the table – the Reds, Villa and last season’s runners-up Arsenal – and cut the gap at the top to four points.

  Guardiola admitted he had been concerned by the prospect of failing to win for a fifth game in a row when Adebayo headed Luton in front.

  “I thought about that,” he said. “But I said to (the players) ‘what do we have do to, feel sorry for ourselves?’ We don’t have to feel sorry for ourselves. It’s football, it’s life, it’s happened.

  “What are we going to do? Complain about being unlucky? Strikers, be more aggressive, score goals guys. Defend better the cross in the last minute and be positive.

  “We have to remember ourselves. Big characters, big teams, like this team is. They are defined in these situations.

  “I don’t like to see the players when we win 3-0, 4-0 in 10, 14, 15, 18 games in a row. That doesn’t define who we really are. Four games without winning – 1-0 (down) in a tough stadium.

  “They don’t need to prove to me what they are capable of, because they are an extraordinary group of players and characters. But the competition demands to prove it again. It’s normal to say ‘City are not the same – it’s over’.

  “Yeah, that’s nice, let them prove we want to still be there. Let’s do it. It’s so nice. We need that.”

  Guardiola confirmed that top-scorer Erling Haaland, who missed the game with a stress fracture to his foot, would likely also miss the midweek trip to Belgrade to face Red Star and next weekend’s clash with Crystal Palace.

  Winger Jeremy Doku was also missing against Luton.

  The manager added: “Week by week will dictate how (Haaland) feels. Doku is muscular, it’s not a big issue like Kevin (De Bruyne) was.”

  Luton boss Edwards reflected on disappointing result that nevertheless proved his team were moving in the right direction.

  “If we continue to perform the way we have this week, we can achieve something really special this year,” he said. “I like the way the team is going. I love how hard they’re working for each other.

  “I think we’re starting to change the narrative around Luton Town Football Club.”

• Manchester City survive scare in battling Premier League comeback win at Luton

  Manchester City survived a scare as they recovered from going a goal behind at half-time to put down a brave fight by Luton and battle to a 2-1 Premier League victory at Kenilworth Road.

  The champions had been without a victory in four games and that run looked like stretching in the most unlikely circumstances when Elijah Adebayo headed in for Rob Edwards’ side on the stroke of the interval.

  City were missing the injured Erling Haaland – with in-form winger Jeremy Doku also ruled out – and looked set to remain seven points off the Premier League summit as Luton bravely held their lead beyond the hour mark.

  Then, Pep Guardiola’s side burst to life to revive their title defence, with two goals in three minutes from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish turning the game on its head as a famous upset was narrowly bypassed.

  City came at Luton from the off. Inside two minutes, Phil Foden broke into the box down the left and stung the palms of Thomas Kaminski, who beat his effort away well. From the rebound, Silva lashed wide with a hurried miscue when greater composure was required.

  Rodri was next to test Luton’s goalkeeper, drawing a fine one-handed save after unleashing a fierce drive from 20 yards, before the Belgian made his third and finest save of the opening half-hour, diving low to keep out Foden’s bullet effort with a firm wrist.

  City though were getting closer. Julian Alvarez dinked one wide at the near post, getting on the end of Grealish’s intelligent ball into the six-yard box but finding only the side netting.

  But the longer Luton held out, the more frustrated City appeared to become.

  The final 10 minutes of the first half saw Guardiola’s side reduced to speculative efforts from outside the box, either closed down by the hosts’ tireless defence who never let City rest on the ball, or sailing harmlessly behind Kaminski’s goal.

  Then came the moment that stunned the champions. It began in midfield with Ross Barkley, showing sublime strength and skill to hold the ball, spin and release Alfie Doughty racing down the right.

  He moved it on to Andros Townsend, who checked from his right foot to his left, lifted his head and – with a raking cross – found Adebayo rising at the far post between Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias to head Luton into the lead from a yard out.

  The hosets had come within seconds of beating Liverpool and drawing with Arsenal here this season and looked determined to finally earn a win against one of the league’s top sides and to put pressure on 17th-placed Everton in their bid to escape the relegation zone.

  On the hour mark, Dias rattled the crossbar from Nathan Ake’s cut-back in what was the visitors’ first real opening since falling behind.

  Within minutes they were level and it was the architect of Luton’s goal Barkley who was at fault, losing the ball in midfield to Rodri who drove at the heart of the defence.

  He collided with Tom Lockyer who had come across to challenge and as the ball broke loose, it was pounced upon by Silva, barley glancing up at the goal before thumping it impudently first time inside the far post.

  Seconds later it was 2-1 and it was the simplest finish for Grealish. Alvarez’s low cross evaded the desperate lunge of Teden Mengi, arriving at Grealish’s feet six yards out.

  With Luton’s defence breached, he had time to take a touch, decide on his spot and stick the ball calmly between Kaminski’s legs to the relief of visiting supporters behind the goal.

  Luton’s spirit was unbroken and they sought an instant riposte. Barkley ran round Foden and Mateo Kovacic and sent a fizzing right-footed drive inches past the post.

  From that point, City were never comfortable and Luton did not look beaten until the very end, but the champions hung on to end their barren run.

• On this day in 2017: Man City edge derby victory to equal Premier League record

  Manchester City equalled the record for consecutive wins in the Premier League with their 14th in a row on December 10, 2017.

  Pep Guardiola’s side achieved the milestone in style with a 2-1 victory over neighbours Manchester United at Old Trafford.

  City opened up an eye-watering double-digit lead over their local rivals after Nicolas Otamendi fired Guardiola’s men to a derby win.

  The much-anticipated 175th Manchester derby was comfortably the biggest game of the Premier League season to that point, such was the need for Jose Mourinho’s Reds to claw back their swashbuckling rivals.

  But the gap between table-topping City and second-placed United grew to 11 points, with Otamendi volleying home a second-half winner after Marcus Rashford had cancelled out David Silva’s opener.

  The untimely end to United’s club record-equalling 40-match unbeaten home run strengthened their rivals’ grip on the title after just 16 matches, the last 14 won in succession.

  That set a new top-flight record run within the same season and meant City emulated Arsenal’s achievement from the end of the 2001-02 season and the start of 2002-03.

  Guardiola said: “You cannot be champions in December but I am happy because people said in England, you cannot play that way, but in England you can play in that way as well.”

  Silva gave City a deserved first-half lead as he capitalised on a corner that had deflected off Romelu Lukaku.

  United fortuitously went into the break level after Rashford took advantage of an error from Fabian Delph, but the blue half of the city were not to be denied as Lukaku’s poor clearance allowed Otamendi to volley home early in the second half.

  City would extend their streak to 18 matches with wins over Swansea, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Newcastle before being held to a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on New Year’s Eve.

  They went on to become the first side to accumulate 100 points in a top-flight season in England, finishing 19 clear of United.