Manchester City demolished Aston Villa by 4-1 goals to increase pressure on tittle challenge.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola anticipates a fierce Premier League title race that may extend until the final matchday.
The reigning champions find themselves in a close contest with Liverpool and Arsenal.
Despite trailing, City asserted their presence with a commanding 4-1 victory over a depleted Aston Villa squad, spearheaded by Phil Foden’s hat-trick.
Guardiola’s experience in navigating such challenges instills confidence, recalling previous seasons where City rallied with prolonged winning streaks.
While acknowledging his team’s current third-place status in the race, Guardiola maintains optimism, emphasizing the determination required for their pursuit of a fourth consecutive title.
“If we win all our games it will go until the last day because they are not five, six, seven points in front,” he said.
“It will not be easy. The feeling I have is not easy. I see Liverpool and Arsenal playing, they don’t drop points, it will not be easy.
“But we have to do our job and don’t regret, ‘Oh, we should have won that game because they lost after’. We cannot do anything, we do not play against them any more so we don’t control what Liverpool and Arsenal do. All we can do is win our games.”
Manchester City’s victory against Aston Villa is a morale boost ahead UCL return and response to criticism.
In the lead-up to their upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid, Manchester City showcased dominance despite notable absences, including Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, who were relegated to the bench.
Despite Jhon Duran equalizing Rodri’s early goal, City exhibited superiority with 25 goal attempts compared to Aston Villa’s eight.
Notable performances from Julian Alvarez and substitute Sergio Gomez, who struck the post in stoppage time, underscored City’s prowess.
However, when questioned about City’s momentum, manager Pep Guardiola alluded to recent criticism following their goalless draw against Arsenal, suggesting a response to doubters.
He said: “We were out of the title race three or four days ago and not playing good, the team was not playing like we did the last six seasons. Now we are in the best form in the league? Come on, guys…
“We’ve won a lot of the last games. I cannot say in the game against Arsenal I didn’t recognise my team. We were there all the time, we didn’t create chances because of the quality of defence and because we missed some presence in the box, but the rest, I recognise completely my team.
“That’s why we are calm. As I said, it’s tight, it’s not seven or eight points. It’s close. We have to wait. They have to lose points, otherwise it will not be possible, but again the team has been exceptional this season, exceptional.”
The outcome on Wednesday dealt a blow to Villa’s aspirations for a top-four position, while a victory for Manchester City, positioned them to stay in contention for the Premier League title in a keenly contested three-horse race.
