Roy Keane could not hide his admiration for Liverpool head coach Arne Slot as the Reds moved 11 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table by beating Manchester City.
Slot has often cited Guardiola as someone who has shaped his philosophy when it comes to playing style. But the Liverpool boss came out on top for the second time this season against the Catalan, whose struggling side couldn't find a way through.
"He is doing OK isn't he," Keane joked on Sky Sports. "He came in a little bit under the radar and there probably wasn't really any expectations after last summer when it didn't get anybody in, player wise.
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"You go back to the first game of the season at Ipswich and the first half. If you said you were looking at the league champions, you would probably have been locked up.
"He has done brilliantly and the players have reacted well. He has a good way about him and seems pretty honest, straight up. You do have to remind people how hard it is to win league titles. Nobody hands you them.
"Liverpool has got some brilliant players and has momentum. I know people say there is a long way to go but Arsenal is running out of games. There might be one or two twists but the gap is wider and there is less games. The manager has done fantastic."
Liverpool was 2-0 ahead at half-time with Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai both scoring. And while the Reds only had 34 per cent of the ball — a rarity, to say the least — it didn't matter. Alisson Becker was not particularly busy.
Liverpool.com says: Slot has been doing exceptionally well and while he inherited a talented roster of players to work with, he is getting more from a number of them. Salah has been scoring and assisting for fun and Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo are among those who have moved onto another level under his guidance.
When the season ends, if he wins the Premier League, Slot should have the all the manager's awards wrapped up. If he goes far in the Champions League and wins the Carabao Cup, it will be inevitable even long before then.
