Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool cannot be written off in the Premier League title race after his Manchester City side went into second in the table. City responded to Liverpool’s Merseyside derby defeat by beating Brighton 4-0 on Thursday night.
The win took City two points clear of the Reds, with a game in hand. Liverpool has it all to do to end the season as champions, with Arsenal three points ahead at the top with four games to go. Mikel Arteta’s side also boasts a far superior goal difference.
But with Arsenal facing a north London derby against Tottenham this weekend, and his City side travelling to Nottingham Forest, Guardiola believes it would be foolish to count Liverpool out.
Speaking after the win over Brighton, he told Sky Sports: “What happened to Liverpool, I said to the players, can happen to us. It can happen to Arsenal. People don’t expect Liverpool lose against Palace and Everton but it can happen.
“Everton is playing for the relegation zone, quite a similar game to what we will have at Nottingham Forest, and play for its life. Maybe because it has been a real contender of ours for years, my appreciation of Liverpool is higher than ever.
“You see the game at Old Trafford [against Manchester United], the chances that Liverpool miss and at Everton, Pickford was exceptional. And the game against Crystal Palace, in the second half, the chances that Liverpool missed. Don’t tell me the reason why.
“It’s football. Still Liverpool is there because I know the character from Liverpool, the institution and the team. It is going to fight until the end. We have to do it, too.”
Liverpool can go back into second and level with Arsenal at the top by beating West Ham at Saturday lunchtime. The Reds know 12 points from the last four games is a necessity to stand any chance of winning the title.
