Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City can no longer talk about the Premier League title after
their hopes suffered another blow in a frustrating 1-1 draw with Brighton at the Etihad Stadium
on Wednesday.
City failed to capitalise on Arsenal’s congested schedule as their winless run stretched to three
matches, leaving the ten-time English champions, five points behind the league leaders, who
could yet extend that gap.
Erling Haaland put City ahead from the penalty spot late in the first half to score his 150th goal
for the club, but the hosts were left to rue a catalogue of missed chances.
Haaland, Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki all spurned clear openings as Brighton stayed alive in
the contest.
The visitors made City pay after the break when Kaoru Mitoma struck his first goal since
September to level the scores and deal a major blow to the champions’ title ambitions.
After the match, Guardiola was candid about City’s position in the title race. “Of course, if you
don’t win games, we cannot think about these things,” the City boss said.
“We are too far away. You have to win games consistently to talk about the Premier League.”
Despite the setback, Guardiola insisted he was pleased with City’s performance but admitted
their wastefulness proved costly.
“I love the way we played. We did many good things,” he said. “But we don’t score goals. There
are too many clear chances. That is the reason why we could not win.”
The Spaniard rejected any suggestion that luck had gone against his side. “The result is the
result. One point for them, one point for us,” Guardiola added. “That is football.”
Guardiola was booked during the game following an angry reaction when a first-half penalty
decision went against City before being overturned by VAR for a foul on Jeremy Doku.
He later defended his outburst. “I was complaining why it was not a penalty, and I was right,” he
said.
Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler played down the touchline exchange between the two managers.
“When it’s a tight game, emotions are normal,” he said. “I have huge respect for Pep and his
staff. That’s football.”
City now face growing pressure to arrest their dip in form, with defensive injuries continuing to
mount and the title race slipping further out of reach.
Guardiola Admits City Title Talk Over After Brighton Draw
