EPL: Pep Guardiola proud of his boys

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Manchester City moved a step closer to the Premier League title as Raheem Sterling's early goal gave the runaway leaders a 1-0 win against Arsenal on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's side made it 18 successive victories in all competitions thanks to Sterling's second-minute header at the Emirates Stadium. With 13 games left, City are 10 points clear of second-placed Leicester, who had closed the gap to seven with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa. City have equalled the club record of 11 successive away victories in all competitions, set from May to November 2017. They are the first top-flight team to win their opening 11 league matches in a calendar year.

City unbeaten in 25 games

Storming towards a third title in four seasons, City have won 13 consecutive league matches and are unbeaten in 25 games in all competitions since a defeat at Tottenham in November. Guardiola's men weren't even at their best on their return to north London, but they still had enough in the locker to hand Mikel Arteta's Arsenal a third defeat in their last four league games.

Pep Guardiola

"It was hard like we expected it would be. We suffered a lot. It's difficult to play against Arsenal and Mikel. That's why I give the players incredible credit for this victory," Guardiola said. "People look at our run of wins and think it's so easy. I didn't expect it. I'm more than grateful for these players for what they're doing, but winning these games 1-0 is what we need to do."

Ole not giving up hope

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not giving up hope that Manchester United can challenge Manchester City for the EPL title, despite the scintillating form of the league leaders. United's own inconsistent form has helped open up the gap, but the Red Devils beat Newcastle 3-1 on Sunday to win for just the second time in six league games. "We've got to be there just in case," said Solskjaer. "Every time we get three points we've done our job and that's what we've got to do and see what other teams do."

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