Pep Guardiola celebrated his 1,000th game in management with a fine 3-0 win over champions Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. Doku was the man of the moment however as his performance inspired the victory which helped them catch up to league leaders Arsenal.
The Belgian star bagged the third goal on his 100th appearance for the club in a performance that Guardiola claimed was one of his best after signing for the side from Ligue 1 club Rennes.
“Playing at home and winning is good for the international break. Gigi (Donnarumma) made the saves he should. Both the full-backs were outstanding. The midfielders gave us a lot of passes and control. Of course, the threat of Jeremy (Doku) was outstanding alongside Erling (Haaland).”
Asked if Doku put in his best display for City, Guardiola added: “One of the best by far, for influence. Their right-back Conor (Bradley) is so quick, I saw his game against Vinicius Junior (vs Real Madrid). We made a really good game.”
Slot also commented on Doku who managed three shots on target, had 11 duels won and 14 passes into the final third against Liverpool who looked clueless on Sunday afternoon.
“Sometimes going in at 1-1 can give you something different in the second half. We solved some issues we were having in the second half.
"And then an unbelievable goal from Doku put us 3-0 down, but I still saw a team that wanted to get back into it.”
Since 2023/24 in the Premier League, Doku has made 55 dribbles versus Liverpool, 16 more than any other player has against an opponent. His contributions helped City catch up to league leaders Arsenal, who will feel Guardiola on their heels heading into the international break.