Pep Guardiola has insisted that Arsenal "will win" the Premier League title if his Manchester City side drop points in any of their remaining three matches.
The Citizens extended their unbeaten run in the top flight to 20 games after putting Wolverhampton Wanderers to the sword 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.
Erling Haaland stole the headlines with four goals, including a first-half hat-trick, before substitute Julian Alvarez added a fifth in the closing stages to seal three important points for the reigning champions.
Guardiola's side remain second in the Premier League table but have moved back to within one point of leaders Arsenal, who beat Bournemouth 3-0 on home soil earlier in the day.
Man City crucially still have a game in hand and will be crowned champions for a record fourth successive season if they with their final three games, but Guardiola has claimed that Arsenal will come out on top if his side slip up at any stage heading down the home straight.
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Pep Guardiola sends title message to Man City players
Guardiola has suggested that Mikel Arteta's side have a slight advantage in the title race as they boast a superior goal difference – the Gunners' +60 goal difference is six clear of City's +54.
The Catalan boss has therefore urged his side to take advantage of their game in hand and win all of their remaining fixtures to get the job done.
"The biggest importance is just two weeks left. Three games. Nine points we will be champions," Guardiola told reporters after the victory over Wolves. "[If we earn only] seven points, six points, three points, Arsenal will win the Premier League.
"Goal difference is not possible, we cannot draw. The way Arsenal have been playing has been so good and consistent. It's three games, hopefully we win the first and the second and arrive to the third with our Premier League destiny in our own hands.
"You see the result 5-1 [today] but I don't have the feeling that was really good," Guardiola added. "We lost a lot of balls, simple ones. With teams that make high pressing we can run with Phil [Foden], Kevin [De Bruyne], Julian [Alvarez]. I give a lot of credit to Wolves, the patterns they have. Hwang [Hee-chan], [Matheus] Cunha were always dangerous."
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Where could Man City drop points in the title run-in?
Man City have been formidable on home soil and their win over Wolves has seen them extend their unbeaten run at the Etihad to 43 games – a new club record surpassing the 42-match streak set between December 1919 and November 1921.
However, the Citizens must now prepare for two away fixtures in London, starting off with a trip to Fulham next Saturday before locking horns with Tottenham Hotspur three days later.
Man City will be confident of success against Fulham as they have won each of their last 12 Premier League meetings, including their last five at Craven Cottage.
Success at Spurs has not been so easy for the Citizens, though, as they have only won one of their previous six visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019.
City lost their first five games without scoring away against Spurs at their new stadium, but that miserable run came to an end in January when Nathan Ake scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory in the FA Cup fourth round.
Guardiola and co will conclude the season at the Etihad with a clash against West Ham, whom they have beaten in each of their last seven home meetings by an aggregate score of 15-4.
Oliver Thomas
