Tijjani Reijnders sends title race warning to Manchester City squad after Chelsea setback | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders gave his honest verdict on Sunday’s frustrating 1-1 draw with Chelsea that further damaged his side’s title chances.

City are now six points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal, having dropped four points in four days last week while Arsenal have begun the New Year with six points out of six courtesy of wins over Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

The Gunners are in pole position to win their first Premier League title in 22 years but Manchester City remain strong contenders, albeit having made their task much more difficult over the final week of the festive period.

The Blues face a tricky calendar of games in the next month, with Brighton visiting the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening in what is a must-win game for Pep Guardiola and co, who cannot afford many more slip-ups in the remainder of the league campaign.

Speaking with BBC Sport after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea, Tijjani Reijnders reflected on an encouraging Manchester City performance but one that lacked killer instinct that has been the bedrock of the Blues’ success under Guardiola over the years.

“We started really well, especially first-half. Second-half was a bit more open, went more up and down and still we created some big opportunities. And yeah, disappointed that we conceded the goal so late,” the Netherlands international said.

“We created some chances, only in our pressing they could find a free man more often. We had to kill the game earlier and very disappointed.”

Reijnders maintained his rich vein of form in front of goal, breaking the deadlock with a brilliant left-footed finish at the near post in the 42nd minute to give Manchester City a vital lead ahead of the interval.

The 26-year-old is one of seven signings Manchester City made last summer and the former AC Milan man is enjoying life at the Etihad Stadium, having forged a strong on-pitch relationship with the likes of Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland.

“I feel good. I’ve waited a long time to get my goals, and now I’ve got the feeling and I hope I can keep going with this,” Reijnders added.

“We should keep going and we still have the confidence that we can turn this around. But next game (against Brighton) is very important.”

Reijnders is expected to retain his starting place against Brighton in midweek, though Guardiola faces a major selection dilemma in defence after centre-half duo Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol went off injured against Chelsea.