Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City they must not drop points if they want to secure a historic fourth consecutive title, as he expects Arsenal to win their remaining games after proving their mettle by beating Tottenham on Sunday. Josco Gvaldiol and Erling Haaland beat Manchester City to victory over Nottingham Forest, leaving them a point adrift of the top spot but, crucially, with a game in hand.
“We would rather they lose, we can’t control their behavior,” Guardiola said of Arsenal. “With four games left I don’t think they will drop points so we know exactly what we have to do.”
It was a less-than-classic performance from City in Nottingham, with Forest hoping to find out the outcome of their points deduction appeal this week, but they made the game as difficult as possible with a disciplined defensive display. The home side even had their own chances but Chris Wood and Murillo failed to hit from close range.
“It was really hard, harder than usual last season, and we played better than we did today. We knew the situation when we got here, so we knew how the game was going to go. “We were lucky that the court was so dry because They had their chances and in better pitch conditions they would have scored and we are very lucky for that. “
Manchester City has won five consecutive Premier League games and a further four wins would see them win their sixth title under Guardiola. “The players were really good, but it was painful,” Guardiola said. “The second half was much better; with the second goal we took the game into our own hands, after a very dangerous game – at certain moments they Much stronger than us.
Guardiola may have to lose his first-choice goalkeeper Ederson for the remainder of the game after the Brazilian was forced off at half-time with a shoulder injury and left with his arm hanging. “It doesn’t look good,” Guardiola said. “We’ll go see it tomorrow with the doctor.”
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Ederson was replaced by Stephen Ortega, who made numerous appearances for the team and made no mistake against Forest, making a superb save to deny Callum Hudson-Odoi. Yi scored from long distance.
Manchester City are under pressure after Arsenal’s win over Tottenham Hotspur. The Gunners opened a three-goal lead over Tottenham Hotspur but Christian Romero and Son Heung-min reduced the deficit to set up a tense finish that saw Arsenal earn a crucial victory .
“Yes, 100 per cent,” Mikel Arteta said when asked if he could see a fighting spirit within Arsenal’s squad. “I’ve seen that all season long. They give me reason to believe that every day. We’re right. The momentum going forward is great. We all expect them to really make a difference.
City will face Wolves and West Ham at home, with games against Fulham and Tottenham in between. Arsenal face Bournemouth, Manchester United and Everton, meaning both clubs in the title race will be looking to favor their closest geographical rivals.
