Ilkay Gündoğan has urged Manchester City to look forward after being held to a 1-1 draw by a rigid and organised West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium.

The German midfielder opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola‘s men in the 30th minute, rifling into the net from inside the box after Raheem Sterling’s accurate cut-back.

But just before the break, the visitors levelled as Semi Ajayi’s shot deflected off Ruben Dias beyond the diving Ederson.

Gundogan had the chance to snatch all three points in stoppage time, but his close-range header was well kept out by an inspired Sam Johnstone. Gundogan believes it’s best if City put this result behind them and focus on the next test.

“We should have won that game but we can’t change that now,” he reflected. “We can do better but it was not meant to be today.

“We can complain but we cannot change it and must accept it. We have to look forward. We deserved better, we had the chances. I don’t know what to say, it’s disappointing to get one point. We must win these kinds of games.”

The 30-year-old, who netted his first league goal of the season, also paid testament to the Baggies, who remained firm despite some heavy City pressure late on.

“They defend so deep. They do it well and they play with all they have, they fight for every ball.

“It’s not easy to create chances but we did - we just couldn’t score more than one goal.”

It is a quick turnaround for Guardiola‘s players, as they travel to the South Coast to take on Southampton on Saturday, and Gundogan feels the hectic schedule is definitely playing its part.

“It’s nearly impossible to have just one team that’s on top and dominating anything, especially with the schedule coming up,” he admitted. “All teams in Europe are struggling to win games in a row. But we have responsibilities and we should win these kinds of games, especially at home.

“We are human beings, not machines, we struggle as well. It is not going to get easier in the next few weeks.”

The point puts City into sixth place in the Premier League table, five points below league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.