Pep Guardiola declared Manchester City ‘alive’ in the title race after victory over Arsenal dramatically shifted momentum towards the perennial champions.
Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland scored either side of Kai Havertz’s equaliser during a pulsating encounter that saw the woodwork struck four times.
City can now go top of the Premier League on goal difference by beating Burnley on Wednesday night.
‘We were not in our best, I give a lot of credit to Arsenal but we are alive,’ Guardiola said. ‘We are there, everybody is pushing.
‘We have a horrible calendar and we are not top of the league. So far they are the best team in England but we have extended the chance to fight until the end.
‘It was the best two teams in England, I think it was a good advertisement worldwide.’
Guardiola played down the idea that the 2-1 win now makes City favourites, adding: ‘If I say the momentum has changed, say the momentum for Arsenal is bad when I’ve seen today them playing like this, how is this bad momentum?
‘They’re in the semi-finals of the Champions League, didn’t lose one game. Momentum shifts in one instance. They know it.’
City are sweating on the fitness of Rodri after he came off with a groin problem, the central midfielder due for scans on Monday, while Haaland claimed that Gabriel should have seen red for a headbutt.
‘I think if I fell on the floor, which I will not do unless somebody really attacks me, it would maybe have been a red card,’ Haaland said.
‘It is what it is. It’s always like this, a lot of fighting. What can I say? I won the battle in that decisive moment. It’s for other people to decide if I won the battle overall. I was quite happy, I have to be honest.’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was in no mood to throw in the towel, and insisted his side are now ‘even more convinced’ that they can win the title – despite having won just one of their last six games in all competitions.
He said: ‘Very upset with the result, obviously. We came here to win the game. I think the message was clear from three days before.
‘We prepared to do that, to take the game to the areas that we believe we could win it. We certainly done that. So we proved that we are there.
‘But the reality is (that) in the two boxes today was the difference and that’s what decided the game.
‘I believe today, I believe on Wednesday a week ago (we can win the title) because I see them (players) every day and I know the level that we have. But today if they need to be more convinced, I think they are now more convinced.
‘They were talking about it in the dressing room. It’s a new league now. They (Man City) have a game in hand. We have a three-point advantage and five games to play.
‘So everything is still to play for. We’re not going to stop and we’re going to go again, that’s for sure.’
The chances where Arsenal went close have given Arteta hope, particularly Eze’s left-footed drive which rattled the goalframe and narrowly snuck out the goal.
He added: ‘I mean the margins are… we hit the post and I just look at the images. It’s incredible how the ball doesn’t go in. So there is an element of luck. There is an element there of timing, of execution.
‘It’s a lot of things that have to be your way. They didn’t go our way, and we have to recognise that at the end, winning and not winning is going to come down to these moments.’
