Guardiola Demands Improvement from Manchester City to Challenge Arsenal
Pep Guardiola has declared that Manchester City must elevate their performance levels to have any hope of catching Premier League leaders Arsenal, despite securing a dramatic and morale-boosting victory at Liverpool. The City manager acknowledged that his team are now "breathing down the necks" of the Gunners after a remarkable late comeback at Anfield, but stressed that significant improvement is still required to mount a serious title challenge.
Dramatic Comeback Reduces Arsenal's Lead
Manchester City were staring at a damaging defeat that would have left them a daunting nine points behind Arsenal, following a superb 74th-minute free-kick from Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai. However, late goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland transformed the match, securing City's first win at Anfield in front of a crowd since 2003 and reducing the deficit to just six points.
Bernardo Silva emphasised the importance of the result, stating: "The title race is over if we lost this game." Guardiola responded with cautious optimism, noting: "I'm maybe more optimistic than them. Nine points, watching Arsenal, it is difficult to think they are going to lose more than three games. But in football you never know."
Guardiola's Assessment of the Title Race
The City manager provided a detailed analysis of the challenges ahead, explaining: "I have a feeling that improving a little bit will not be enough to compete against Arsenal but still we have margin [to improve]. We have to play them at home, of course we have to beat them. And 13 games in the Premier League, from my point of view and from my little experience, is a lot."
Guardiola highlighted the particular difficulties of facing relegation-threatened teams in the final stages of the season, noting: "When you go into the last games playing any team in a relegation battle, it's a proper game. Because they live to survive and have long weeks to prepare, [whereas] you come from FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League. That makes an influence in the title race. That's why being nine, 10, 11 points is more difficult. That's why all we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal, be there, and try if they slip, if they make a mistake, use it."
Controversial Moments and Managerial Reactions
The match featured several contentious incidents that sparked debate between the managers. City believed they had scored a third goal in the 100th minute when Rayan Cherki found the net from the halfway line with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson out of position. However, Szoboszlai was sent off for pulling back Haaland as they pursued the ball, with the striker also tugging the midfielder's shirt, resulting in a free-kick being awarded to City instead.
Guardiola expressed his frustration with the decision, stating: "It's common sense, no? We won the game and now Szoboszlai can't play [at Sunderland on Wednesday]. I know we pull him but how many pulls are there in a game that referees play on? So give a goal, 3-1, so he can play and we are happy."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot directed his frustration towards a different incident, believing that Marc Guéhi should have been sent off for pulling back Mohamed Salah when the forward ran through on goal with the match still goalless. Guéhi received only a yellow card, and Liverpool wasted the resulting free-kick on the edge of City's area.
Slot explained: "I can live with the fact, although I don't like it, that the referee follows the rulebook and Dominik makes a foul on Haaland in that situation which is a clear shirt-pull and he was through on goal so he would have scored. That's a red card. If you follow the rulebook, and you have a clear shirt-pull by Guéhi on Mo Salah, who for eight years has been scoring that ball 100 times out of 100, and it is not a red card, then there is more of my frustration. My main frustration is in the shirt-pull on Mo Salah at 0-0. Clear and open, one vs one on the goalkeeper."
This dramatic victory has injected fresh momentum into Manchester City's title defence, but Guardiola's insistence on improvement underscores the formidable challenge that Arsenal present at the summit of the Premier League table.
