Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola called Liverpool the favourites to win the Premier League after his side were held to a goalless home draw by title rivals Arsenal. (More Football News)
After Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 earlier in the day, Jurgen Klopp’s side top the ta🅺ble by two points from the Gunners with City in third, three points from the sum𝓡mit.
Guardiola’s three-time reigning champions have made a habit of putting together long winning runs late in the season to overhaul rivals in the race to finish top, but the Catalan conceded this year’s title race was ౠnot in their hands.
“Always who is first is favourite,” Guardiola sa🎃id when asked if Liverpool were “cl🐻ear favourites” to win the league.
“The second favourite is Arsenal and we are third…It’s not in our hands. All 🔜we can do is think of Aston Villa (at home on Wednesday). Always when we were top of the league, we were favourites. It was in our hands. Now it’s not. It’s sim༒ple.”
City and Arsenal both fought hard at the Etihad but produced a match of few chances that will not live long in the memory, with Guardiola’s men failing to score at home for the first time in 58 matches across all comp𝄹etitions.
Last April Arsenal lost 4-1 at the Etih🏅ad in the midst of a run which pr𓃲oved pivotal as City overhauled Mikel Arteta’s side on their way to the treble.
There wa﷽s no repeat as Arsenal’s eight-game losing streak at the Etihad came to an end, and this felt like a more important result for the Gunners.
𓃲“I think the context and the way we arrived here 11 months ago was different, but the difficulty remains the same,” Ars💜enal boss Arteta said.
“They are the best team in the world, in my opinion, 🃏by far. They have the best manager in tไhe world by far. To catch up and try to better than them is the challenge ahead of us…
“I don’t know (if the draw is good for the title race). You wa🔯nt to win the gaಌme. You prepare to win it. If you cannot win it, make sure you draw it. We did that.
“Eleven months ago we were here and the story was very different. You🃏 have to make steps as a teamౠ and today we’ve done that. We still have many more to come…
“(It say🌃s) that we are improving and competing better and understand how you have to play these games but there is another step to🧜 make to win the championship. You have to come here and win.”
Arsenal kept their sღtr🐓ucture, defending deep and denying City players any space in and around the box.
Asked how to break down such a low block, Guardiola꧂ joked: “Kill someone”⛄.
“I recognise my team, the proposals and how we pressed high,” he said. “We’ve played against a low block sometimes and Arsenal are excepꦕtional. Well managed and the players are really good.
“You have to knock on the door of another manager and see if he can do it. As a team we’re still there. We could have more in some aspects but I’m satisfied. I told the team don’t be🎶 sad. You give cred🅺it to Arsenal for the things they do.”
