Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola lauded his team after their goalless UEFA Champions League draw against Serie A champions Inter Milan. City, who have won all of their four Premier League matches, were kept at bay by a strong defensive performance from the Italian giants.

Guardiola’s men took 22 shots, out of which five were on target and had 60% possession. However, the Cityzens failed to find the back of the net.

“We played so good, I love my team. We are a fantastic team. And that team defend really well, they are masters of defending and in transition they are really strong as well,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. “We concede one and a half chances… you can’t expect to make many chances when a team defends with 11 players so deep.”

“When you lose easy balls, it’s a counterattack, it’s impossible to stop it. We had to be more precise. You cannot always control it.

“We had not a lot [of chances], but they were so clear. It’s also the start of the season, these players will get better with a little bit more time.”

Defender Ruben Dias was also pleased with most aspects of City’s performance, saying: “A very intense game against a very strong opponent.

“We knew what was coming, they’re a top team as well, they’re used to winning, and we knew we were not going to have an easy job. 

“In the end, I think the team had a great performance, we were very close to scoring.”

Manchester City will next take on Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.