Manchester City defender Marc Guehi gave talk of a potential treble for Pep Guardiola’s men short shrift following their surprisingly unconvincing win over Burnley, which took them top of the Premier League.
City snatched the initiative in the title race with Arsenal last week by beating Gunners 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, and then prevailed in their game in hand at Turf Moor on Wednesday as Erling Haaland scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.
Guardiola’s side are level with Arsenal on goal difference, but sit top by virtue of goals scored. Yet there was a sense of missed opportunity in a victory that confirmed Burnley’s relegation, with City failing to take the chance to build a goal difference advantage over Mikel Arteta’s men.
Arsenal can return to summit with a win over Newcastle United on Saturday, with that game kicking off 15 minutes after City’s FA Cup semi-final with Championship promotion chasers Southampton at Wembley.
Should both City and Arsenal win all their remaining fixtures, then the league title will come down to goal difference.
As such, City’s failure to win by a more emphatic margin against Burnley could cost them a domestic treble. City are the firm favourites for the FA Cup, having beaten Arsenal in the FA Cup final in March.
But asked about the treble after the victory over Burnley, Guehi said: “That’s what you guys are talking about.
“We just focus on one game at a time, that’s the most important thing. It’s Southampton next and it’s important that we focus on that – and see if we can get to another final.”
Guehi defends Manchester City result at Burnley
Guardiola and Haaland each bristled at questions about City only winning 1-0 in the immediate aftermath of the game, and Guehi was similarly dismissive of the suggestion that they should have prevailed more comfortably.
“Everyone thinks these games are easy, when a lot of emotion and focus went into the last game against Arsenal,” Guehi added. “When you’re playing a team that’s fighting for their lives, it’s not going to be easy.
“Whoever thought it was going to be easy clearly doesn’t know football. I’m glad everyone did their jobs and dug in. The most important thing was just to get the win.
“I’m not thinking too much about being top [of the table], to be honest. It’s good, it’s where we want to be, but there’s still such a long way to go. It’s nice for now, but there’s still a lot to play for.
“Our priority is just to focus on ourselves. We played the game against Arsenal and were able to control that game – and now it’s up to us to do the best in the games that we have left.”
