"It's not a testimonial" - Peter Crouch opens up about Gvardiol penalty incident during Manchester City win vs Fulham

Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has said he was 'pleased' that Josko Gvardiol didn't take the penalty in Manchester City's 4-0 win against Fulham on May 11. Julian Alvarez was tasked with taking the penalty in injury time with Crouch stating that he was the perfect player for the job.

The Cityzens moved an inch closer to the Premier League title following their emphatic win against The Cottagers. Gvardiol scored a brace in the game, while Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez contributed with a goal each too.

Josko Gvardiol scored four goals in 26 Premier League appearances and the goals have come in the last seven games. However, Gvardiol opted against taking the spot-kick, stating that he was happy to pass on the responsibility.

While reacting to the incident, Peter Crouch claimed that it was the best decision for the Croatian to not take it. Here's what he said (via SPORTbible):

"I was pleased he didn't take the penalty. I thought it would have been slightly taking the mick a little bit out of Fulham. But also, they've got a job to do. Alvarez is the best for the job. I think it was the right decision for him not to take it."

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott shared his two cents on the incident as well. He, however, had a slightly different opinion than Crouch. Lescott claimed that Gvardiol scoring the penalty and getting a hat-trick would've been "remarkable."

He said:

"I had a slightly different opinion, for him to score a hat-trick it would have bene remarkable. I like the way he decided, it wasn't confusion. It wasn't like 'I want to take it' and Alvarez was like yes, no. It was like, Alvarez is taking it, there was no discussion."

Crouch added:

"We've had issues around that this season. I think the fact it was discussed but it didn't interfere with Alvarez's penalty. He gave it him after. It was the right decision. They're trying to win a league title here, it's not a testimonial. We'd all love Gvardiol to get a hat-trick but at the end of the day, they've got to win the game."

"That one goal could decide the title. If he goes and misses that, everyone would say 'remember that one goal where we tried to let Gvardiol get a hat-trick and he missed it'. It could cost them."

With the win, Manchester City have claimed the top spot in the Premier League table. They have two games remaining in the season and their clash against Tottenham Hotspur on May 14 could be the deciding game in the race for the title.

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Manchester City reclaim top spot on the Premier League table

Pep Guardiola's men dethroned Arsenal to reclaim the top spot on the Premier League table. After 36 games, the Cityzens have 84 points, while Arsenal have 83 in many games.

The Gunners play Manchester United on May 12 (Sunday). Should Mikel Arteta's men lose to The Red Devils, City's remaining games will more or less be a formality.

On the flip side, if Arsenal win against Erik ten Hag's men but Manchester City lose to Spurs on Monday, the Gunners could win their first Premier League title on the last day of the season in their game against Everton.

Manchester City play West Ham United on May 19, Sunday.