Pep Guardiola on Man City moving four points behind Arsenal after beating Liverpool | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola says he has the feeling that his Manchester City side can challenge for the title this season after moving four points behind Arsenal with a win over Liverpool.

Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku saw City beat their rivals 3-0.

Arsenal’s draw with Sunderland means City have moved to four points behind the league leaders but Guardiola says that was not the focus of his players.

“It can happen,” he said on Arsenal dropping points. “I’m not surprised because of what Sunderland is doing.

“I think Liverpool and ourselves say ‘oh they dropped points finally’. They concede two goals. In their run (it looked like) it would not happen.

“But in the end we have to do it. I said, guys, don’t do it because yesterday Arsenal didn’t win. Do it to believe in ourselves.

“We played against the champions of England. We have to show them that we are able to be there with them all this season.

“Today, I think we proved it. We did it. Especially in the first half.”

Guardiola also stressed that there is a long way to go yet, and says the eventual title winners are usually the team which improves throughout the season.

“I said in the last (few) days, in October and November you don’t win the Premier League,” he said. “The teams that win the Premier League are when every month, the team is growing.

“You see the feeling that the team grows and grows and grows and you arrive at the end fighting for the title.

“It’s not the team that is in September or October at the top. You have to grow. To be better and better. Always when we won (the league) it has been like that.

“I have the feeling that we are in that way. I have the feeling that we are back in terms of many, many things.

“I didn’t like the second half against Bournemouth, I didn’t like the second half against Liverpool, I didn’t like the last half an hour at Brentford away. So this is the point where we have to grow as a team.

“But it was important wins, these ones. Bournemouth were second in the table, Brentford away is always dangerous, and Liverpool.”