Pep Guardiola targets perfect finish after Manchester City return to the top

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City needed to win their five remaining games to claim the league title after their victory at Burnley

Pep Guardiola stated Manchester City need to be perfect and win their last five games to have a chance of being champions after Wednesday’s 1-0 win against Burnley took them top for the first time since the opening week of the season.

Erling Haaland’s fifth-minute strike proved the matchwinner at Turf Moor as Scott Parker’s side were relegated given they are 13 points behind 17th-placed West Ham and have only four games left to play.

At the top, City and Arsenal each have 70 points and a goal difference of 37 so Guardiola’s side lead due to their 66 goals scored being three better than their north London rivals.

City are at Wembley for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Southampton then have a nine-day break before travelling to Everton on the following Monday-week.

Guardiola said: “Now we have the FA Cup and after that we have five games. The only chance for the title is to win all the games.”

After Everton (away), City close their campaign against Brentford (home), Bournemouth (away), then Crystal Palace and Aston Villa (both at home). Arsenal’s next match is Saturday’s hosting of Newcastle, before Fulham (home), West Ham (away), Burnley (home) and Crystal Palace (away). Arsenal can move six points ahead as the Newcastle and Fulham games are before City’s trip to Everton.

Despite the slender margin of victory, Guardiola was pleased with the display, as it followed the attritional 2-1 win over Arsenal. He said: “It was such a demanding game on Sunday. It is not easy after three days but in the Premier League you have to adjust. We are used to doing it. We competed really well, we made a really good game but it’s a pity the chances we had.

“We made a better performance in terms of chances than on Sunday. Arsenal are extraordinary, but the performance [today] itself was really good. Winning is the main target.”

Kyle Walker vowed to try and help Burnley gain promotion back to the top flight next season. “I came here with a dream to keep this club up,” the captain said. “Hopefully we can make the fans proud next season.”

Scott Parker stated there is no clarity regarding his future as Burnley manager. His current terms end in summer 2027.