Manchester City defender John Stones has opened up after his side’s 4-1 win over league leaders Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday.
The victory was crucial for the defending champions since they are now only two points behind in second place with as many games in hand.
“We knew how they were going to play, and we worked on different scenarios in training. We and the manager thought this was the best way to beat them and it definitely worked,” said Stones.
“It shows we can adapt and change in a few days in our roles and responsibilities.
“We were very clinical in how we all defended. It’s a bit disappointing how we conceded at the end, but I was pleased to get the three points and we move on.”
City could clinch top spot on the Premier League table for the first time since November by Sunday evening since their trip to Fulham will come before Arsenal are in action.
“It’s another step in the right direction,” said Stones. “We try to go out in every game and show what we’re capable of.
“No matter the challenge and the team in front of us, we believe in ourselves and try to play our football.
“We’ve got a hectic schedule. We take it a game at a time. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We concentrate on what we can do and what we can affect, and we take it from there.”
A brittle Arsenal defence, shorn of the reassuring presence of William Saliba, could not contain the power of Erling Haaland, even if it did take until the final attack of the game for the Norwegian to score his 49th goal of the season.
Haaland instead turned provider, twice, for Kevin De Bruyne to fire home early in each half.
In between times, Arsenal´s weakness at defending set-pieces was exposed as John Stones rose highest to head home De Bruyne´s free-kick in first half stoppage time.