Rodri sends message to Arsenal after Man City lose ground in Premier League title race | OneFootball

Man City midfielder Rodri has sent a message to Premier League title rivals Arsenal after the Citizens lost ground over the weekend.

Enzo Fernandez scored a goal in second-half injury time for Chelsea as they grabbed a late point in a 1-1 draw with Man City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Fernandez’s late equaliser cancelled out Tijjani Reijnder’s first-half opener for Man City and saw Pep Guardiola’s side draw their second successive Premier League match.

That means second-placed Man City are now six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday.

Man City midfielder Rodri insists “there is still a long way” in the Premier League title race with Arsenal and urged his team-mates to “keep going”.

Rodri said after the match: “It’s frustrating of course but at the end of the day it is what it is. We created enough chances to win the game three or four nil, but this is football.

“If you don’t take your chances with nothing they just draw the game. So we have to learn from this. There is still a long way and we just need to focus on the next games.

“First half was brilliant, enough to score three or four goals. In the second half we forgot a little bit how to play and they got control of the game, losing easy balls.

“Sometimes when you defend, defend, defend, they did not have much but they get a draw. There’s still a long way to go.

“It unbalances the team every single time a player goes out [injured] but of course the team has to adjust. It is not an excuse, we have enough talented players to play but in the second half we lose face a bit.

“We move on, we have the next game against Brighton at home and we have to win. We know that this season is going to be long so we have to keep going and going.”

When asked about his recent return to football after a long time out, Rodri added: “For me it is a gift.

“What I have been through has been terrible for me so winning, drawing, losing for me right now everything is a gift.

“To play, have the joy of the game and recover the smile, and the rest will come, the victories, the successes for the team. Right now it’s about staying fit and enjoying football.

“I went through the process of where you have to adjust the body in terms of the muscle. I feel strong. I need the rhythm of the games but for the moment of the season we are in and where I came from I feel good.”

Former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given insists Man City dropping four points over the busy festive schedule could be “huge” for the title race.

Given said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a brilliant result for Chelsea, with no manager. And a brilliant result and week for Arsenal, who are now six points clear.

“Man City dropping four points in the last two games is huge at this time of the season.

“We always say Christmas and New Year, with such a busy schedule, is so important and it’s not been a great festive period for Manchester City.

“Both their centre halves went off and Rodri looked leggy in the last 15, 20 minutes.

“Their squad’s quite stretched at the minute, which people might laugh at because of the money they’ve spent, but if you look at the bench today there were a lot of kids given the injuries and absentees they have.

“On the whole it was probably a fair result and you’ve got to give credit to Chelsea’s second half performance as they were so much better than they were in the first.”