MAN CITY AND VILLA CHASING ARSENAL

PEP Guardiola said on Tuesday that Manchester City must address a habit of second-half slumps if they are to retain any hope of chasing down Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

City scored twice late on to snatch a 2-1 victory away to Liverpool on Sunday and move back within six points of the Gunners.

However, those were the first goals Guardiola’s manne have scored in the second half of any Premier League game in 2026.

Victory over Fulham at 9.30pm on Wednesday will cut the gap at the top to three points for 24 hours before Arsenal visit Brentford.

But Guardiola said talk of a title race is premature until City iron out their inconsistency.

Guardiola wysed: “We have to be better and to be closer to make the first half in Anfield and not the second.

“What is the reason why in the second half still we are dropping our performance?

“Not [whether the gap is] three, four, five, six points because if we don’t do that, we will not win. Maybe not against Fulham, maybe it’ll be against Newcastle or maybe in the next game at Leeds.”

John Stones, sidelined since the trip to Fulham due to a thigh injury, is back in the squad, Guardiola said, adding that defender Abdukodir Khusanov was also fit despite suffering a concussion at Liverpool.

Meanwhile, third-placed Aston Villa – three points behind City – will aim to return to winning ways in the league when they host Brighton at 9.30pm on Wednesday.

Morgan Rogers and his pals’ title aspirations have derailed recently, picking up just eight points from their last six outings.