Man City's next six Premier League fixtures compared…

Man City's next six Premier League fixtures compared with Manchester United, Arsenal and rivals

Manchester City looked to be in control at Old Trafford on Saturday before falling to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester United.

Pep Guardiola's side took the lead on the hour mark courtesy of Jack Grealish, but saw two quick-fire goals from Bruno Fernandes - a controversially allowed goal - and Marcus Rashford turn the tide at Old Trafford with less than 10 minutes left. City continued to push forward but lacked any real threat as they fell to their third league defeat of the season.

The result closes the gap between the city rivals to just one point.

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With the season only reaching its halfway point during the week, and Arsenal lacking any recent title challenge experience, the blue half of Manchester will remain confident they can claw back the deficit. But they will need to start making up ground quickly or risk leaving it too late.

Manchester City - 2nd (39pts)

Tottenham Hotspur (H) - January 19
Wolves (H) - January 22
Tottenham Hotspur (A) - February 5
Aston Villa (H) - February 12
Arsenal (A) - February 15
Nottingham Forest (A) - February 18

VERDICT: Guardiola must use the next two home games as a platform to build momentum. City dropped points in their last two at the Etihad but had been imperious during the early parts of the season with seven consecutive wins. In Tottenham and Wolves they face two sides who will sit deep and frustrate - a tactic that has caused problems in recent weeks.

A quick-fire double against Spurs will be huge in deciding the narrative of City's trip to Arsenal, with that February meeting at the Emirates sure to go some way to helping us discover this season's champions. Neither Nottingham Forest nor Aston Villa should be taken for granted, however, with both enjoying a sharp upturn in form since the turn of the year.