Pep Guardiola warns Man City players that Liverpool-esque collapse 'could happen to us' amid fight for Premier League title

Following a commanding 4-0 victory over Brighton, City closed the gap on league leaders Arsenal to just one point and overtook Liverpool to claim the second spot in the standings. The impressive win was fueled by Phil Foden's brace and goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez.

The triumph came on the heels of Liverpool's disappointing 2-0 defeat to Everton and a shocking 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, which saw them relinquish their lead at the top of the table. Guardiola has learnt his lessons from Liverpool's sudden downfall and stressed the importance of staying vigilant, especially with challenging fixtures ahead.

“I said to the players what happened to Liverpool can happen to us and can happen to Arsenal,” said the Spaniard.

“People didn’t expect them to lose against Crystal Palace and yesterday but it can happen to us – it’s football. Everton is playing to avoid the relegation zone and we have a similar game at Nottingham Forest (on Sunday) and they are playing for their lives.

“Maybe because they were a real contender of ours for many years, my appreciation for Liverpool is higher than ever. Still, it (the title) is there (for Liverpool) because I know the character of their team. They are going to fight until the end and we have to do it too.”

Despite their past successes, Guardiola remains cautious about relying solely on history to propel City to another title. He emphasised the need for continuous effort and focus in the remaining five games to lift their sixth league title in the Guardiola era.

“I would love to say yes but I don’t know,” he said.

“What we have done in the past doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in the future. To do it again, you have to make it happen. We know what we’re playing for.

“We know that if we don’t win or we draw, we will not have a chance to fight until the end, so, of course, the pressure is there, otherwise we cannot perform that well. Five games left and on to the next.”

City will face Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their next Premier League fixture.