Manchester City title race out of Guardiola's hands

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's title race is no longer in their hands after a 3-3 draw at Everton. City led 1-0 at half-time, then needed Jérémy Doku's 90th minute plus 7 equaliser to rescue a point. The draw leaves Arsenal top and in control of the chase.

How Everton turned the game around

Guardiola described the first half as outstanding, and the scoreline backed him up. City were 1-0 up at the break, but Everton scored three times in 13 minutes after the restart and turned the game on its head before City clawed back level.

That spell was the match. Guardiola said the second half was different, with his side less in control after the break and Everton making it a “proper English game”, aggressive in the duels. He was not trying to dress it up as anything else.

There was still enough quality in City to take something from it. Jérémy Doku scored twice, and Erling Haaland also got on the scoresheet, but the bigger point was the fragility after half-time. If City were expecting a routine run-in, this was a reminder that they are still living game to game.

Why Guardiola's admission matters

Guardiola's post-match line was blunt: the title is “not in our hands”. Before this game, it was. After it, it is not. He also said City have four Premier League games left and added, “We have to do it in our four games that we have in the Premier League.”

The table explains why the draw hurts. City are second on 71 points from 34 matches, while Arsenal are top on 76 from 35. Arsenal's +41 goal difference also beats City's +37, so City are chasing on both points and tiebreak position.

That makes the pressure heavier than a normal dropped result. Arsenal can clinch the title by winning their remaining three games, and City can now finish with no more than 83 points. Guardiola can still argue his team are playing well enough to keep pushing, but this is no longer a race they control. It is a chase, and Arsenal hold the advantage.