Despite regaining control over their title challenge thanks to Liverpool losing to Chelsea, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says the league crown remains up for grabs.
With City comfortably seeing off Crystal Palace 2-0, thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure, the Blues now sit three points off leaders Liverpool with a game in hand over the top club.
Pellegrini admitted he was ‘very happy’ to see Jose Mourinho’s men win at Anfield but the former Malaga boss believes that the result leaves the title race wide open.
“I always said this season’s race would go until the final day and nothing will change my mind,” he said.
“But I’ve always told the players we never give up, hope is what you must continue to have, all the way until the end.
“There are no favourites to win the title and at the end of the season we will see who the best team is.”
City needed Liverpool to drop points in any of their remaining matches to give them any hope of snatching their second title in three years.
Victory for second place Chelsea moved them onto 78 points, one ahead of City, but the Citizens’ superior goal difference over both clubs above them may yet prove crucial.
As ever the Chilean was cautious in his assessment of the situation, preferring to focus on what his side has to do to beat off the other challengers.
“The only thing that is different is that we are not depending on other teams and what matters is only what we do between now and the end of the season,” he explained.
“I was obviously very happy with Chelsea’s win, but this is far from the end of the title race because all three teams have very hard games still to play.
“What we do know is that we need to play our remaining games with the same levels of concentration and intensity as we showed today in our final matches, but it has been a very good weekend for us.”
Main image courtesy of Manchester City FC via YouTube, with thanks.
