Guardiola insists title pursuit remains alive after Manchester City's draw against Nottingham Forest
Pep Guardiola maintained that the Premier League title contest is far from concluded following Manchester City's surprising 2-2 stalemate with struggling Nottingham Forest, which gave the upper hand to table toppers Arsenal.
Guardiola's team let slip their advantage on two occasions at the Etihad Stadium, with strikes from Antoine Semenyo and Rodri neutralised by efforts from Morgan Gibbs-White and subsequently Elliot Anderson.
Savinho saw an attempt blocked off the line by Murillo with the final touch of the match, heightening City's disappointment.
Their inability to secure victory over Forest was disappointing enough, yet the update from the south coast proved even more disheartening, as a 1-0 triumph for frontrunners Arsenal over Brighton placed the championship beyond City's grasp.
Arsenal now lead City by seven points and hold the fate of the title themselves as they aim for their inaugural English success since 2004.
City possess one additional fixture compared to the Gunners, who will travel to the Etihad in April, though Guardiola lamented yet another encounter where his squad relinquished dominance after the interval.
Once again this campaign, City faltered post halftime, elevating the tally of points forfeited from leading spots to 13.
Nevertheless, Guardiola remains convinced that City can still surpass Arsenal across their remaining nine outings.
"Numerous matches remain, with them (Arsenal) having one fewer," Guardiola stated.
"Certain fixtures we do not merit the result. Today we performed solidly for 90 minutes overall.
"It transcends this incident or that one. Broadly, upon reviewing the encounter, it was executed effectively."
Guardiola refrained from commenting on a late penalty appeal for City, when Haaland tumbled after evading Forest custodian Mats Sels, a call upheld by VAR.
"Consistently, I feel we must improve substantially to ensure referees need not get involved," Guardiola remarked.
"It falls to us to elevate our game. Depending on them renders success unattainable. Nothing further to add.
"Ultimately, we generated ample chances versus a highly defensive opponent.
"We showed vitality. Perhaps we required more interplay with Erling (Haaland), capitalising on his exceptional positioning, yet overall it was competently managed."
The drive in the title battle now lies squarely with Arsenal, although Guardiola's focus shifts to the upcoming FA Cup fifth round matchup against Newcastle, prior to a Champions League round of 16 opener versus Real Madrid.
"The sensation is we benefit from one extra game," Guardiola noted regarding the title race.
"Presently, it is Newcastle, with thoughts centred on the immediate next challenge."