‘It’s not over’ - Pep Guardiola sends Premier League title message to Arsenal after another stumble from Man City

Bernardo Silva gave City the lead on the half-hour mark with a brilliant lob, although some questioned whether he actually did it on purpose. However, just as quickly as they took the lead, they quickly lost it. That happened when Konstantinos Mavropanos headed home a corner that left Gianluigi Donnarumma helpless. City dominated possession for most of the match, but struggled to create chances, while West Ham looked comfortable keeping Guardiola's side at bay. This result was certainly not what the visitors wanted, as they fell further behind in the title race.

Despite the precarious position, Guardiola was adamant when asked if the race was run. "It's not over. Who said that? We didn't lose. We will continue," he said. "Nine points is a lot against Arsenal but it happened. We have the game at home so we have to try until the end. When it is not possible then we congratulate the champion but we have to try." The manager was quick to defend the character of his dressing room during this difficult period. "We have an incredible team, spirit. We had an incredible amount of effort in Madrid. The last two games, we played much, much better," Guardiola said. "We are an incredible team. We play so good. The guys go and go until we can't continue. But we didn't score enough goals when we had the quality and they punished us."

Central to City’s struggles has been a lack of goals, with Erling Haaland finding the net only three times in his last 12 league outings. Guardiola identified this lack of spark in the final third as the primary reason why City have dropped crucial points against teams lower down the division.

"We didn't score enough goals. It happened a thousand millions times for this team in the last decade but this season we struggled," Guardiola admitted. "We were without much threat and I don't like that. You need the spark in the final third with your players. To win the Premier League you need to be more consistent. In the past we had the consistency to win and win and win, to always find a way. This season, not scoring goals for the amount of chances we've created, we've been punished."

Arsenal have finished as runners-up in the last three seasons, but they look more composed this time around. Guardiola admitted that while he hasn't been monitoring every minute of their progress, he recognises the quality they possess as they look to end their long wait for a league title.

"It's so difficult but we have a game in hand, this game at home against Arsenal. I'm not saying it will be easy to beat them but there is hope. Always, you have to be there," the City boss explained. "I don't know how they are playing because I didn't see the last games but I have a few things that I like. It could be better but it is what it is."