Manchester City F.C.
·13 February 2021
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Yahoo sportsManchester City F.C.
·13 February 2021
Rodrigo set City on our way to a dominant 3-0 victory over Spurs - our 16th successive win in all competitions - by registering the first ever penalty of his professional career, then admitted he ignored the advice of Ederson before converting his spot-kick!
The Spanish midfielder stepped forward to take responsibility from the spot-kick after Ilkay Gundogan had been brought down midway through the first.
Rodri slammed home the effort past Hugo Lloris to give City a first half lead before a brace from Gundogan sealed the deal and extended our lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
And reflecting on the win afterwards, Rodrigo admitted he had chosen to choose his own spot when taking the penalty rather than listening to our keeper and insisted he would be happy to shoulder the responsibility of taking a penalty again.
"Goalkeepers know each other, Ederson told me some specific points about Lloris, where I should shoot the penalty I didn't listen!” Rodrigo revealed.
“As it’s better to focus on what you are confident about and I was confident in shooting in the way I did.
"I was a bit angry the last weeks because we missed many penalties, much more than we expected and in big games you have to score penalties.
“So I told my teammates the next penalty I shoot!
“So I grabbed the ball and no one took it from me and fortunately I scored. The win is the most important thing.
"We were laughing in the locker room, next penalty for sure I am going to take."
However, though a 16th successive victory extended our lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points, Rodrigo insisted that City would be taking nothing for granted.
“It is not easy to beat this type of teams. Tottenham so strong all game but we are so happy with the victory and the three more points," Rodrigo added.
“We play every game with intensity and we have changed a bit since the last defeat at Tottenham.
"It is a big step for us but of course it is not over. Many teams can achieve this so we are not expecting anything but to keep going and keep fighting for the next game."