Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted the Premier League title battle is far from decided despite his team losing ground in the standings.
City were held to a 1–1 draw by West Ham United at the London Stadium, a result that came shortly after Arsenal F.C. defeated Everton F.C. 2–0 to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table to nine points.
City had taken the lead through Bernardo Silva, but Konstantinos Mavropanos restored parity for West Ham before halftime. With only a handful of matches left this season, some analysts believe the defending champions face an uphill battle to retain the title.
City still have a game in hand and will welcome Arsenal later in the season; a fixture that could greatly affect the title battle if Guardiola’s team closes the gap.
Recent events have worried the champions. In successive league games, cities have lost points; they also suffered a big loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Guardiola argues that his team will keep pushing until the race is mathematically determined despite the challenges.

