Manchester City have gone above Arsenal to top the Premier League but their performance in a 1-0 win at Burnley shows this title race is far from over, says Gary Neville.
City were expected to blow Burnley away off the back of their thrilling title-race showdown win over Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.
It started well for them, with Erling Haaland clipping in an excellent opener after just five minutes but the second goal didn’t come and in the end Pep Guardiola looked relieved to hear the full-time whistle, after relegated Burnley created some nervy moments.
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Erling Haaland’s cool finish sees Manchester City in front at Burnley.
City lead Arsenal on goals scored – they have scored three more times than the Gunners this season – with the teams otherwise level on points and goal difference.
Arsenal play twice before City next play in the league and can now seize their opportunity to reclaim the momentum in the chase for glory, while there may also be renewed hope that City will not win their five remaining league games.
“It’s a win for Manchester City – but it’s the best win Arsenal could have hoped for,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“It’s all to play for. Arsenal have a home game against Newcastle on Saturday where they can reassert their three-point lead.
Erling Haaland put Man City in front
“It didn’t happen for Manchester City tonight. They will have to play better than that or they will drop points.
“But Pep Guardiola knows he had to come away with three points. And he’s done that.”
Haaland: One-nil is amazing – why are people asking about goal difference?
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Erling Haaland urged focus on results after Manchester City moved top of the league with a narrow win against Burnley, insisting “one-nil is amazing”.
After the game, Man City matchwinner Haaland seemed to be irritated by questions about goal difference – admitting that winning the game is “amazing” no matter what the scoreline.
“We had a lot of chances but I’m happy we won. That’s the most important thing. Anything else, don’t think about it. Try to win,” he said.
“As I said, it’s all about winning, no matter how. We try to play our football. Now focus on Saturday.
“Don’t think about other goals. Think about winning. As I’ve just said. Three times.
“It’s been good so far. Keep going, try to win on Saturday. Then Everton. One-nil is amazing. I’m super happy. I don’t know why people are asking me [about goal difference]. We are top of the league. Be happy.”
Pep: Why should I be frustrated?
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Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reflected on their win against Burnley, which secured them the top spot in the Premier League.
Despite cutting a frustrated figure throughout the second half, Guardiola was intent on painting a positive picture when he spoke to Sky Sports post-match.
Asked if he was frustrated there wasn’t more from his side, he said: “The way we played? Or the goals we didn’t score? The chances were there, we created a lot. Made a fantastic game. We did everything after a demanding game three days ago. So it was demanding. It wasn’t easy. We missed some goals here.
“No frustration. Why should I be frustrated? We are right now top of the table. Frustration doesn’t exist.
“Of course, we can do better and score goals. The guys did absolutely everything, we just didn’t score [more]. Nothing was taken for granted, we did really well.”
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Micah Richards says Manchester City’s experience and mentality will give them the edge over Arsenal in the title race if they draw level on points.
He also rejected suggestions his side may have been feeling the effects of their exertions on Sunday against Arsenal.
“I completely disagree. We had a better performances in terms of chances, chances, chances than on Sunday. Of course, the opponent of Arsenal is extraordinary. We know that. The performance itself was really, really good.
“Five games. It’s the Premier League for five games. This is the reality. Now we have a really tough semi-final on Saturday.
“It’s a big opportunity to play four finals in a row. We will see how tired we are. Maybe we have to make some changes because otherwise, it’s been a lot of minutes for players. At the end, we were a little bit tired. But we are ready.”
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