Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes the Premier League title race will be decided by how Arsenal can react to results like the Blues managed against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's team were not at their best at Selhurst Park but managed to scrape a 1-0 victory in South London. Erling Haaland's penalty 12 minutes from time was enough to seal the three points that are crucial at this stage in the season.
City now sit two points behind the Gunners but they do have a game in hand which will be played on Sunday away at Fulham. Speaking to Sky Sports about the state of play in the race for the title, Richards explained how Mikel Arteta's team must react if they are to pip the Blues.
ALSO READ: City player ratings vs Palace
"City have not been at their best but they are managing to win," Richards explained. "If I can go back to when I was in a race for the Premier League and, you know, Arsenal watching that today and Man City not playing at their best but still getting the three points, it is almost demoralising at times.
"When we was in that title race, we was ahead of Man United, they went ahead of us, and then we came back and it was that psychological battle going round in your head time and time again. What Manchester City have that Arsenal don't have in recent history [is that] they have done it.
"They have won it four out of five, so they know what level they are and where they can go. Whereas Arsenal, every time ... I backed Arsenal to challenge [for the Premier League] just because of the ideas and the freshness and the passion and the young players all coming together but when there is a team who have done it, like in my case Man United, it always felt like they had that little bit of an edge.
"It is just whether Arsenal can focus on what they need to do. They have been in good form, and the players who have come in... when there has been an injury we always thought it would derail them a bit but it's not.
"They brought [Leandro] Trossard in who plays as the false nine, [Eddie] Nketiah has done his job when he needs to as well so it is just that psychological battle and who handles that better towards the end of the season."
READ NEXT:
