Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City may not be able to catch Chelsea after Arsenal draw

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side would struggle to catch Chelsea at the top of the table after their 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

City were presented with a perfect opportunity to reassert their title credentials at the Emirates on Sunday after Antonio Conte’s league leaders had lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace the previous day but twice let the lead slip as first Theo Walcott and then Shkodran Mustafi cancelled out goals from Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero.

Guardiola’s side trail Chelsea by 11 points with nine games to go and whilst City could close the gap if they win at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday their manager concedes the Premier League title may have slipped out of reach.

“We want to win, but we were not able to make a perfect performance,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “Still there are a lot of games, nine games to play, but it's now so difficult to be in front.

“Yesterday Chelsea lost, and we were not able to win. For Arsenal it is the same. It's game-by-game.

“Anything can happen. We know what we have to do against Chelsea [on Wednesday]. We head back to Manchester to prepare and then back down to London.”

A win for City at Chelsea on Saturday may not be enough for the Manchester giants but it could open the door for Tottenham, who would move within four points if they won at Swansea.