Ilkay Gundogan claims that his game-winning performance was inspired by his disappointment at not being included in the starting lineup for the Premier League title-deciding match against Aston Villa last season.
The German midfielder made an unforgettable debut for City off the bench, scoring twice in five minutes as Pep Guardiola’s team rallied from two goals down to win 3-2 and win the title of English champions for the fourth time in five years.
Since Rodrigo, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva were preferred in midfield at the Etihad Stadium, Gundogan admitted he had anticipated starting. However, he used the disappointment of missing out to propel himself to Man of the Match status.
(I had high expectations of getting the game started, but I didn’t. I didn’t start the West Ham game the previous week, so I felt pretty confident about starting the Aston Villa game.
(I was a little frustrated, as you might expect, but I tried to stay focused and support the starting players. I believe that this frustration slightly affected the outcome of the game).
