Craig Burley on Arsenal: ‘They just keep throwing City a bone, don’t they?’

“When you put somebody seven, eight or nine points behind, it demoralises them as the chasing team. I’m not saying Arsenal are bad. They are the best squad in the country, best team in the country. But they just keep giving Guardiola’s team something to hang on to,” he added.

After the win against Liverpool, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was optimistic about City’s chances.

“We are six points behind. OK, it is a big gap, but many things can happen, so it’s better to have the three points. Who knows if six points is enough [for Arsenal], but 13 games is a lot and the FA Cup is coming, the Carabao Cup final too, the Champions League is back in March and injuries will happen,” Guardiola said.

“There are also other teams playing for things [like] European positions, fighting against relegation and playing against teams in a relegation battle means they are trying a lot to survive and it is a proper game. So 13 games from experience is a lot of time. It [the run-in] is so, so difficult, but the important thing is to be there. All we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal, being there, and try if they slip, if they make something [a mistake], use it.”