Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that the Premier League title race is no longer in his side's control after a dramatic 3-3 draw with Everton on Monday. The result leaves City five points behind league leaders Arsenal with only four matches remaining in the season.
Guardiola's Honest Assessment
Speaking after the match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Guardiola was candid about his team's position. "We need to win our games. Now it is not in our hands," he said. "If they win their games the title will be for Arsenal. Now we have to win our next game, we have to recover well for a series of games, and this is what we have to do."
The Spanish coach acknowledged the difficulty of the contest, praising Everton's aggressive approach. "Many things happened – the difficulty of the opponent, the incredibly aggressive way they play. We had composure in the first half and after they made a step up [in the second half] we maybe didn't have the intention that we did in the first half. Our second and third goals were outstanding and we take a point."
Match Recap
Jeremy Doku had given City the lead, but a stunning 13-minute collapse saw Thierno Barry score twice either side of a Jake O'Brien goal. City managed to snatch a late point as Erling Haaland scored, while Doku fired home another in stoppage time. Despite the fightback, Guardiola admitted the point was not enough. "The point is better than no points, but it would have been better to win the game."
City are now powerless to stop Arsenal claiming the title should Mikel Arteta's side win each of their remaining three games. Guardiola, however, remained defiant. "Better effort cannot be possible. The message is the same as the day before. We have four games left and a final – win the games. That is the message. We play for that, even with difficulties for many reasons."
Looking Ahead
City return to action on Saturday when they host Brentford at the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal travel to struggling West Ham a day later, but first face a Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Guardiola praised his players for their comeback spirit. "We knew we had to win the game with how many games we had left, but without that emotion you cannot come back. If you give up, you cannot do what we have done tonight."
