Pep Guardiola relishing title run-in: “The table speaks for itself”

Was this the day that the Premier League title race tilted, perhaps decisively, into Manchester City’s favor? Pep Guardiola’s side battled to an action-packed 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday, moving to within three points of the league leaders.

City have a game in hand and real momentum as they enter the final stretch of the season, and Guardiola’s team are famously strong finishers. But despite the jubilant scenes at the Etihad Stadium at full time, Guardiola insisted that his team still have work to do. Speaking after the game, Guardiola said simply: “Still we hope.”

“But the truth is that we had a horrible calendar and we are not top of the league. So far [Arsenal] are the best team in England but we extend the chance to fight until the end. They are so competitive, we know that. But at the same time, we are too.

“The table speaks for itself. They have been the best. Congratulations to the guys, but don’t lose the focus.” City look poised for another strong end to the campaign, with no other competitions to distract them from the business of another Premier League title. For now, the pressure is on Arsenal to pick themselves up from this loss and ensure that they can capitalize on any City slip.

Arteta “full of belief” in players

For Arsenal, Sunday’s result is a monumental blow to their title hopes after leading the league for the vast majority of the season. The Gunners were runners-up in each of the past three seasons and now face the prospect of a fourth straight second-placed finish.

Speaking after the game, Arteta insisted that his team are not giving up their hopes of a title just yet: “We have full belief that we can do it. Today we showed again the team that we are. It’s in our hands and it’s there for the taking.”

“We lost an opportunity in terms of the result. They have a game in hand, we have three points,” he continued. “Game on because it is a new Premier League.”

Despite Arteta’s outward optimism, there has been a clear drop-off from Arsenal in the past two months. The team has looked increasingly low on options in attack and Arsenal have managed just one win from their last six games in all competitions. There are still enough games left - five for Arsenal, six for City - for Arteta’s team to shake off their recent struggles and put the pressure back on City. But Guardiola knows that his team have the title back in their own hands and they look unlikely to let it slip.

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