Guardiola hails 'fantastic' Sterling
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola highlighted Raheem Sterling's growing self-belief after his remarkable run of late goals continued with a superb stoppage-time winner in the 2-1 victory over Southampton.
City's quest for a 12th successive league victory seemed to be over when Oriel Romeu's 75th-minute equaliser for the Saints cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's goal early in the second half at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
But in sixth minute of added time Sterling curled a brilliant shot into the top right-hand corner, sparking delirious scenes among City's fans, with Guardiola running onto the pitch in celebration.
City's last three victories have all been courtesy of late strikes from 22-year-old, who scored in the 88th minute against Feyenoord last week, the 84th against Huddersfield Town before his winner in the dying seconds against Southampton.
"Before, he didn't believe. Now, he can do that, said Guardiola. "In the end, he had the personality to make the action, to put the ball there in the angle. It was a real fantastic goal."
City players sprinted to the far corner to continue their celebrations, with injured French full-back Benjamin Mendy, sidelined with a cruciate knee ligament injury, even hobbling half the length of the field from the bench to join in.
"Mendy's crazy! He has a six-month injury and he's running. Disaster!," joked Guardiola.
ROONEY BACK TO HIS BEST
Wayne Rooney scored his first hat-trick in six years and a first treble for his beloved Everton as they roared back to life in a troubled season by thrashing West Ham United 4-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Rooney showed no mercy to the man who had handed him his professional debut at Goodison Park back in April 2002, giving David Moyes another unhappy return to the ground where the Scot spent 11 years.
Rooney's treble, which was complemented by a late header from Ashley Williams, ensured caretaker David Unsworth bowed out on his brief yet troubled reign with a smile on his face, picking up a second win from seven games in all competitions.
"It was very enjoyable," Rooney told the BBC. "It was a difficult moment for us as a club. It was a big game with the new manager coming in. We needed a big performance and we had that - especially in the first half."
Rooney enjoyed a slice of luck with his first goal as his poorly-struck penalty was saved by Joe Hart but landed at the perfect height for him to nod the ball straight back into the net.
He thrashed in a cutback from Jonjoe Kenny in the 28th minute but saved his best goal for last, reacting quickly to a scuffed pass from Joe Hart to drive the loose ball into the net from behind the halfway line.
West Ham manager Moyes said: "It's what Wayne can do. He's always got goals in him and technical ability. He's got the knack of being in the right place to score goals."
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