Former Manchester United and England striker Michael Owen believes the Premier League title race is "far from over," despite Manchester City heading into Christmas three points clear at the summit.
City maintained their residence at the top of the table with a comfortable 4-0 win over Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon.
Goals from Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling sealed all three points for Pep Guardiola's side, ensuring they registered an eighth successive Premier League victory.
The win ensured that they would sit at the top of the table on Christmas Day, even if Liverpool had beaten Tottenham Hotspur later in the day. But after Jurgen Klopp's side played out an enthralling 2-2 draw, it means that City have a three-point lead in the race for the title.
Despite City finding themselves in a healthy position as Christmas approaches, Owen insists that the battle for the title will continue.
Owen told Premier League Productions : "Christmas came early, didn't it, for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, but the title race is far from over, as we can see.
"Liverpool can easily make up three points. For Chelsea, six points is a little bit more difficult, but they have got to play them [City] still. The only problem for them is that it is at the Etihad Stadium.
"City are sitting pretty. It is always nice to be sitting on top at Christmas. History will tell you that it is a perfect place to be.
"But they have still got teams chomping on their heels and it is certainly not over yet."
Although the current Covid crisis means it is impossible to predict when fixtures will be played, should all go to plan, City will return to action on Boxing Day, welcoming Leicester City to the Etihad Stadium.
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