Manchester City have surpassed Arsenal to take the lead in the Premier League, but Gary Neville says their performance in the 1-0 win over Burnley showed the title race is far from over.
City were expected to dominate Burnley after beating Arsenal in a thrilling title showdown at the Etihad on Sunday.
The match got off to a good start, with Erling Haaland scoring a superb opener after just five minutes, but the second goal failed to come, creating some tense scenes for relegated Burnley before Pep Guardiola looked relieved at the full-time whistle.
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Erling Haaland’s cool finish puts Manchester City ahead against Burnley.
City lead Arsenal in goals scored, with Arsenal having scored three more goals than the Gunners this season, but otherwise the teams are level on points and goal difference.
Arsenal have two games to play before their next league game against City and have a chance to regain momentum in their pursuit of glory, but there may also be renewed hope that City are winless in their remaining five 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 about playing. Arsenal have a home game against Newcastle on Saturday where they can reaffirm their three-goal lead.
Erling Haaland puts Man City ahead
“That didn’t happen to Manchester City tonight, they have to play better or they will drop points.
“But Josep Guardiola knew he had to get the three points and he did it.”
Haaland: One Zero is great – why do people ask about goal difference?
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After Manchester City narrowly defeated Burnley and took the lead in the league, coach Erling Haaland insisted that “One Zero is great,” and urged them to pay attention to the result.
After the match, Man City’s winner Haaland appeared irritated by questions about goal difference, admitting it would be “fantastic” to win the game no matter what the scoreline.
“We had a lot of chances, but I’m glad we won. That’s the most important thing. Don’t think about anything else, just aim to win,” he said.
“Like I said, it’s all about winning in any way. We’re trying to play our football. Now we’re focused on Saturday.
“Don’t think about other goals. Think about winning. Like I just said. Three times.”
“It’s been good so far. Just keep going and try to win on Saturday. And Everton. Wan Nil is great. I’m very happy. I don’t know why people are asking me (about goal difference). We’re top of the league. Be happy.”
Pep: Why should I be annoyed?
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Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola reflected on the victory over Burnley, which secured them the top spot in the Premier League.
Despite showing no signs of frustration throughout the second half, Guardiola was intent on painting a positive picture when speaking to Sky Sports after the game.
When asked if he was frustrated that he didn’t get more from the team, he said: “The way we played? Or the lack of goals? We had chances and we created a lot. We played a great game. After a demanding game three days ago, we did everything. So it was demanding. It wasn’t easy. We missed some goals here.”
“There is no frustration. Why should I be frustrated? We are in the lead now. There is no frustration.
“Of course we can do better and score goals. The players did everything perfectly, but we just didn’t score (more). Nothing was taken for granted. We did really well.”
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Micah Richards says Manchester City will have an experience and mentality advantage against Arsenal in the title race if they are level on points.
He also dismissed suggestions that his side were feeling the effects of their struggles against Arsenal on Sunday.
“I totally disagree. We performed better in terms of chances, chances, chances than we did on Sunday. Of course, Arsenal’s opponent is extraordinary, we know that. The performance itself was really, really good.”
“Five games. There are five Premier League games. That’s the reality. We have a really tough semi-final on Saturday.
“It’s a big chance to play our fourth final in a row. We’ll see how tired we are. Otherwise it’s going to be a long time for the players, so we’ll probably have to make some changes. We were a little tired at the end, but we’re ready.”
