Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players not to let history repeat itself when they face Fulham on Sunday.
City's 4-1 win over Premier League leaders Arsenal has put them in control of the title race, with Guaridola's side having two games in hand on the faltering Gunners. When City beat Arsenal 3-1 away in February to revive their title hopes, they were held to a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in their next game.
Guardiola does not want a repeat of that at Craven Cottage and said: “We had some margin then, now we don’t. We have seven games left, Arsenal have five. It’s really close.
“Maybe it’s a bad example, because I always demand a performance and at Forest it was the best - we conceded one shot on target and played really well after an incredibly demanding game in London. The team played so well, but we dropped points and we have to avoid that again.”
Despite closing to within two points of Arsenal, with the added advantage of games in hand, Guardiola claimed the title race is far from over. “When people say it’s over, it’s not over,” said the City boss. “When it’s over it’ll be over, but it’s not. Still we have seven games.
“Now we have to go to Fulham and win at a special stadium against an organised team. If we do our job we’re closer, but nothing is taken for granted.
“We were happy, of course, with the Arsenal result but that’s all. There's not 20 games left but seven games, still a lot of games, considering we have the Champions League around the corner. I know Mikel Arteta and the players know it - they won’t give up."
