Guardiola says title race is in their hands, Arteta is off to lick the wounds and lift his squad

April 27 - Manager Pep Guardiola hailed the tide turning firmly in his Manchester City side as they took pole position to claim their fifth Premier League title in six years.< /p>

Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Arsenal, who at one point had an eight-point lead before a sudden implosion, means City are now champions-in-waiting.

Arsenal may still be top, but City are now two points behind with two games less. "It's in our hands," Guardiola said. "Until today I preferred Arsenal's position because if Arsenal beat us it was in their hands. Now it's our fate. I would like to have six points from these two games (in hand ), but we have to win them. We can't lose focus."

"The reality is that we are still behind Arsenal. It won't be easy for us, but it's game by game and we see what happens. When it's in our hands, we have to use it ."

After 17 games unbeaten, it's hard to see City slipping. Arsenal, meanwhile, took just three points from four games as pressure mounted on one of the Premier League's youngest sides.

Two-goal leads were lost to Liverpool and West Ham, as it took a late comeback to salvage a point against bottom-placed Southampton last week.

"These players deserve a lot of credit after nine and a half months here," said crestfallen Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as he tried to accentuate the positive. “There are still five games to play. In 22 years in this country I have seen a lot and there are no two equal games in this league.

"We first have to lift our players who suffered tonight, by playing an exceptional team. But we are also an exceptional team. I don't know what will be necessary [to win the title]. That's hard to swallow."

While neither Guardiola nor Arteta have accepted Wednesday's game as a title decider, it would take a major sellout for the defending champions to return the initiative to the Gunners, even though City on paper have a run-in much more difficult.

Erling Haaland scored his 49th goal of the season on Wednesday, while Kevin de Bruyne was at his inspirational best, netting twice.

"Kevin is a master of assists with or without Erling," Guardiola said. “Erling scores goals all the time with or without Kevin. But being together, when the teams press so high and those balls with space behind them, they're so dangerous and we use that."

Arsenal's best hope of a first league title since 2004 may now be as fatigue sets in as City remain in search of a treble of trophies after advancing to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the final of the FA Cup.< /p>

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