Pep Guardiola has refused to clarify whether he believes Manchester City are still title contenders, following a day where Liverpool moved 14 points clear.
Jurgen Klopp’s side victory on the South Coast against Bournemouth put pressure upon City ahead of the Manchester derby, as they needed a win to keep the deficit at 11 points.
However, first-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial put United in control, with Nicolas Otamendi’s effort proving to merely be a consolation.
As a result, City remain 14 points adrift and, despite that margin never being overturned in the history of the Premier League, Guardiola did not rule out his side in the hunt for the title.
“It’s not time to think about that. Whether it’s six, seven, eight or nine points, I say the same every time. We think about what we have to do and we think about the next game,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s unrealistic to think about catching up, whether it’s six points, seven points, 14 points, two points. We are a fantastic team, we can play so good.”
City’s display against United saw their struggling defence once again continue to cope with the threats that their opponents provide, although Guardiola believes it’s normal given the strength of United’s attack.
“We are a little bit more open but sometimes that can happen. United, with these four players up front, that is normal but in general, we played a good game,” he added.
City face Arsenal next weekend in North London as they look to bounce back, while Liverpool tackle a Watford side rooted to the bottom of the table.
