Guardiola admits Arsenal were the better side in draw. | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola accepted that Arsenal were the stronger team during their 1-1 Premier League draw on Sunday.

City took the lead early through Erling Haaland, who struck inside nine minutes after connecting with a clever ball from Tijani Reijnders.

Despite the bright start, Guardiola’s side struggled to control the game for long spells and were pegged back by Gabriel Martinelli’s late equaliser.

Guardiola on City’s struggles

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Guardiola pointed to the demanding schedule his side have faced in recent weeks.“It’s difficult to analyse with all that’s happened this week. We play games like United and in the Champions League on Thursday, and now today. The teams are so powerful in all aspects.”

The Spaniard admitted City were not sharp enough in two key areas of their play.“The resilience – of course, it’s so difficult when you’re not effective in high pressing and you’re not effective in build-up.”

Guardiola added that this made the contest even harder for his players.“It’s always so tough and so difficult to do it. We made some transitions. I think the result is fair. But in general, Arsenal were better.”

Injuries and fixture list take toll

City have had to manage several absentees, and Guardiola admitted that the squad’s fitness issues and the crowded fixture list had an impact.“Of course, the schedule has an effect. Your mindset has to be strong. You know how many injuries we have.”

Despite acknowledging Arsenal’s superiority on the day, Guardiola insisted his players showed resilience to claim a point. The result leaves City still behind their rivals in the table as the title race heats up.

Arsenal remain second, five points adrift of leaders Liverpool, while City are looking to rediscover consistency after a demanding spell of games.

City sit ninth in the table with seven points and aim to return to winning ways when they face Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium.