'I never point fingers' - Man City blink first in title race
๐ Key Takeaways
- **Manchester City dropped crucial points** in the Premier League title race, failing to win their match (implied by the phrase "blink first").
- **Manager Pep Guardiola emphasized collective responsibility**, stating "I never point fingers" at individual players for the result.
- **The outcome tightens the title race**, increasing pressure on City and providing an advantage to their rivals, likely Arsenal or Liverpool.
- **The match represents a potential turning point**, suggesting City may have lost momentum in the final stretch of the season.
๐ Full Retelling
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have blinked first in the run-in during this season's Premier League title race - so has the momentum now swung Arsenal's way?
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Original Source
'I never point fingers' - Man City blink first in title race By Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter at Etihad Stadium Published 1 hour ago 107 Comments Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have blinked first in the Premier League title run-in as they stumbled to a draw against Nottingham Forest . City led twice through Antoine Semenyo and Rodri against relegation-threatened Forest but failed to see out the game and now lie seven behind leaders Arsenal . Guardiola's men have a game in hand against Crystal Palace but this could be a gameweek where the momentum and belief swings in the direction of Mikel Arteta's men. City had 70% possession and 21 shots but their inability to hold on to a lead could prove crucial come May, as they have now dropped a whopping 13 points from winning positions this season. "It is a lot but there are games that maybe we didn't deserve it but today we played, in general, good for 90 minutes," said Guardiola. "You have to stop transitions, long balls you have to defend but it's not about this action or that action, in general the game was well played. "We created a lot against a team so defensive, a really good team, [which is] more dynamic." Man City stumble as Forest claim unlikely draw 'Arsenal don't care - they won' January signing Semenyo has hit his stride quickly at City and looked like being a difference-maker in the title race after his winner at Leeds United on Saturday. Against Forest, he scored his seventh goal since arriving from Bournemouth to give City a 1-0 advantage at half-time. But a familiar story then unfolded. The statistics show City have dropped off in the second half of matches - had games finished at half-time, Guardiola's side would sit 13 points clear of Arsenal but instead find themselves seven points adrift. Forest had twice fallen behind but managed to hit back through Morgan Gibbs-White's superb instinctive backheel and Elliot Anderson's stunning curling effort. The reaction from the City players at full-time w...
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