Manchester City finish day ‘third’ favourites in Premier League،
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are now “third” favorites to win the Premier League title after a 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.
The result leaves City third in the table, one point behind Arsenal in second and three points behind leaders Liverpool. With nine matches remaining, the title is slipping away from them and Guardiola said his side are now outsiders to win the trophy for the fourth season in a row.
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Asked if Liverpool were now “clear favourites” to win the Premier League, Guardiola replied: “Yes. Whoever is first is favourite, second is Arsenal and we are third.
“It's not in our hands. All we can do is think about [the next game against] Aston Villa. If you are leading the championship, as we have been before, you are favourites.”
City dominated most of the match against Arsenal, but could only manage one shot on target. It was the first time they had failed to score in a league match at the Etihad Stadium since October 2021, and Guardiola later joked that there was only one way to break through Arsenal's weak defensive block.
“Kill someone,” he said. “Play with nine. They defend well and a lot, surrounding Erling [Haaland]. They defended well with a lot of people. There are different ways. They did well with the press and then after the counter. The main objective is not to concede a goal and they did that. We didn't create much but our intention was there.”
For Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, he was proud to have kept two clean sheets against City this season – especially after losing 4-1 at the Etihad 11 months ago. That result last season ended Arsenal's title hopes, but this one ensures they are still in the race ahead of the race.
“You want to win the game, you prepare to win it, but if you can't win it, make sure you draw it,” Arteta said. “We did it. Eleven months ago we were here and the story was very different. You have to take steps as a team and today we did that. We still have a lot more to come.
“It shows the commitment of each player, the discipline they showed and how they compete. One thing is to play a football match and another is to participate in it. Today we did it very well do.”
Both teams are still alive in the Champions League, with Arsenal taking on Bayern Munich and City taking on Real Madrid in the quarter-finals next week. Before that, Man City host Aston Villa and Arsenal face Luton Town at the Emirates this Wednesday midweek in the Premier League.
