Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said the Premier League title is "out of our hands" after seeing his side held to a goalless draw against rivals Arsenal.
Liverpool secured top place with a 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier Sunday, taking the Reds two points clear of of the Gunners with City in third, three points from the summit.
Sunday's 0-0 draw against Arsenal was the first time City had failed to score at the Etihad Stadium in 58 games, a run stretching back to a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in October 2021.
City are chasing an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, but Guardiola conceded Liverpool are now favourites.
“Always who is first is favourite,” Guardiola said. “The second favourite is Arsenal and we are third – it’s not in our hands. All we can do is think of Aston Villa [at home on Wednesday]. Always when we were top of the league, we were favourites. It was in our hands. Now it’s not. It’s simple.”
Despite the setback, City are still in the hunt for a repeat of their treble success of last season. As well as the league, Guardiola's side are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they face Real Madrid over two legs, and the semi-finals of the FA Cup, with Chelsea their opponents.
Last April Arsenal lost 4-1 at the Etihad in the midst of a run which proved pivotal as City overhauled Mikel Arteta’s side on their way to the treble.
There was no repeat as Arsenal’s eight-game losing streak at the Etihad came to an end, and this felt like a more important result for the Gunners.
“I think the context and the way we arrived here 11 months ago was different, but the difficulty remains the same,” Arsenal boss Arteta said.
“They are the best team in the world, in my opinion, by far. They have the best manager in the world by far. To catch up and try to better than them is the challenge ahead of us.
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Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne vies for the ball with Arsenal's Declan Rice during their Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. EPA -
Manchester City's Phil Foden breaks free against Arsenal on Sunday. EPA -
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with his Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta at the Etihad Stadium. PA -
Manchester City's Manuel Akanji remonstrates alongside Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus . Reuters -
Manchester City's Erling Haaland fights for the ball with Arsenal's Gabriel. Reuters -
Arsenal's David Raya blocks an effort. Reuters -
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes argues with referee Anthony Taylor. AFP -
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard has a shot on goal past Manchester City's Manuel Akanji. PA
“I don’t know [if the draw is good for the title race]. You want to win the game. You prepare to win it. If you cannot win it, make sure you draw it. We did that.
“Eleven months ago we were here and the story was very different. You have to make steps as a team and today we’ve done that. We still have many more to come.
“[It says] that we are improving and competing better and understand how you have to play these games but there is another step to make to win the championship. You have to come here and win.”
