Erling Haaland took a swipe at Roy Keane after plundering four goals to tighten Manchester City’s grip on the Premier League title race.
Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Bournemouth had heaped pressure on City before Guardiola’s side hammered Wolves 5-1, remaining one point behind with a game in hand.
Haaland – whose performance has drawn criticism this season – took his league tally to 25 in the race for the golden boot.
Keane’s inflammatory comments, when he described the Norwegian’s general play as that of a League Two striker, has riled Haaland’s family.
‘I don’t really care that much about that man, so that’s all right,’ Haaland said. ‘I don’t care, we just have to win our games and now, relax tonight and focus on Fulham.’
Following City’s stalemate with Arsenal in March, Keane said: ‘The levels of his general play is so poor, and not just today, I think his general laying stuff off, headers, or whatever it might be in terms of front of goal is best in the world.
‘But for his general play for such a player, it is so poor, not just today, I think he has to improve that he’s almost like a League Two player.
‘That’s the way I look at him his general play has to improve and it will do over the next few years. There’s been this brilliant strikers fantastic. But he has to improve his all-round game.’
Keane then revisited his comments after Haaland scored on his return from injury against Nottingham Forest last week.
The former Manchester United midfielder joked: ‘He was very much like a Championship player, he has improved a lot. In terms of a goal scorer he is absolutely amazing, there’s no doubting his quality of him in terms of his finishing of him.
‘When he’s coming on he will want to have an impact on the game and when it’s stretched like that he’s got people like [Kevin] De Bruyne, he’s going to find you and then it’s just that bit of sharpness which he has shown.’
Guardiola declared that Haaland is back to his best and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was watching the demolition at the Etihad at home with his family.
‘Erling is back to business,’ Guardiola said. ‘Penalties are a guarantee (for him) but the second and fourth were unbelievable.
‘The 20 minutes I [Haaland] played against Nottingham Forest was really good and today as well.
‘Winning the title on goal difference is not possible, so we cannot draw a game. The way Arsenal have been playing has been so good and consistent.
‘It’s three games, hopefully we win the first and the second and arrive at the third with our destiny in our own hands.
‘Nine points we will be champions. If it’s seven, six or three points then Arsenal will win the Premier League.’
Guardiola also revealed why Haaland cut a frustrated figure when he was substituted late on, adding: ‘He was frustrated with the referee. With the long balls sometimes they push him and he is pulled.
‘He went down and sometimes it was no foul. It happens every game a lot of times. ‘He was just a bit frustrated for these actions but I can guarantee how happy he was today.’
Despite failing to reach the heights of the 52-goal season he logged last campaign, Haaland has still had a successful year, netting 36 goals in 41 games in all competitions.
The 23-year-old looks set to win the Premier League Golden Boot for a second successive season having scored 25 goals with three games remaining of the domestic campaign.
Meanwhile, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil branded the decision to award City’s first penalty, a coming together between Josko Gvardiol and Rayan Ait-Nouri, as ‘terrible’ but admitted: ‘The story is Manchester City were excellent. The officials haven’t cost us.’
