CITY HAVE TO FOCUS IN EPL 'FINAL', SAYS PEP

He says title race over if they lose at Etihad, where the Gunners have not won in Il years

- 

senal were seemingly in the fast lane to their first Premier League title in 22 years, with a stuttering Manchester City leaking points and losing ground.

On April 19, however, a rejuvenated City will know that victory over the Gunners in a showdown at the Etihad Stadium would make them favourites to reclaim the crown.

Arsenal's surprise 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth last weekend reopened the race and City's subsequent 3-0 win at Chelsea cut the gap to six points with a game in hand.

If City prevail and then win at relegation-bound Burnley three days later, they would top the table with five games to go.

That would leave Arsenal facing the unedifying prospect of a fourth successive runners-up spot.

Should that happen, it would be a crushing blow for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, whose desperation to deliver the title appears to be weighing heavily on his players.

In contrast, City manager Pep Guardiola, with all his experience after guiding his team to six Premier League titles in nine seasons, knows exactly what his men must do - focus.

When asked on April 17 if this match would be a "final", he said: "Yeah, obviously. If we lose, yeah, it's over.