Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola warns Premier League bosses that they cannot be stopped: 'We have always found a way to win'

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Pep Guardiola warned opposition managers it is pointless trying to find a way to stop his Manchester City side.

A 1-0 victory at Newcastle extended their winning run to 18 Premier League matches and opened up a 15-point gap over second-placed Manchester United.

Rafa Benitez put 11 men behind the ball in the first half, but Raheem Sterling's 31st-minute strike proved to be the winning goal.

Pep Guardiola warned that it is pointless trying to find a way to stop his Manchester City side

A 1-0 victory at Newcastle extended City's winning run to 18 Premier League matches

Rafa Benitez put 11 men behind the ball in the first half but City still found a way to win

Newcastle's approach was criticised by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who said it was a 'sad state of affairs for the Premier League', but Guardiola says his opponent's tactics are of little relevance with his team in this sort of form.

'In these 18 games we have played against teams who have done high pressing and low pressing, counter attacks, just set pieces, or Tottenham who tried to go forward and attack,' said Guardiola.

'In all of them we have been able to beat them. The magnificent thing about football is that any manager of any team can play any way, teams can try to trick you, but you have to be able to beat them and until now we have been able to do that. We have always found a way to win.'

Guardiola says his opponent's tactics are of little relevance with his team in this sort of form

City will equal the record set by Guardiola's Bayern Munich if they make it 19 straight league victories at Crystal Palace on Sunday. This was also their 11th consecutive away win, a new Premier League best, but the manager says he is struggling to keep track of their achievements.

'Of course we are so happy to break records, because we keep having one more, one more, but when we prepare for games we don't speak about records, we just speak about what we have to do to win,' he said.

'It's not easy to maintain our focus in this period, everyone is on holiday, everyone has a party at home. To be focused after 17 games in a row is not easy, but we did it.'

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez believes his ultra-defensive means were justified

Newcastle pressed for an equaliser late on and, given that City put four past Bournemouth, Spurs and Swansea in their previous three games, Benitez believes his means were justified.

'If we score a goal at the end then they (the pundits) will be pleased with the performance of the team,' he said.

'If you play (open) against Manchester City, the way they are playing now, look at what happened to Spurs, Swansea and Bournemouth. So we were close, we could have got a point at the end.'