Man City 3-0 Fulham: Pep Guardiola’s side close in on leaders Arsenal

The celebration among a group of City players to keep a clean sheet embodies the togetherness and character they display.

The result at Anfield appears to have given City and Guardiola new confidence that they are capable of chasing down Arsenal, despite not being at their best this season.

Having finished top in six of the last eight seasons, City possesses the necessary knowledge to succeed, while Arsenal will be hoping to avoid repeating their past three seasons of finishing runners-up.

Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Radio Live, “There are still weaknesses we probably haven’t seen before, but I think they’ve still got enough weapons to go on a crazy run and be unbeaten and everything.

“It’s not a bold statement to make.” The psychological aspect is reflected in the way they won on Sunday. They’ve gone, ‘This is our job.’

“That belief runs throughout the club and the fans, where they think, ‘You know what, we still have a fantastic chance.’ This will give him confidence for this race.”

Former England striker Alan Shearer said on BBC Match of the Day: “I don’t think it would surprise many people if they ran. Especially after the game over the weekend, you could see they were full of confidence, belief, and energy.

“They have done their job tonight and have now put the pressure back on Arsenal with a three-point lead.”

Arsenal will be burdened with a heavy burden of expectation before facing the Bees, especially after witnessing City’s impressive first-half performance against Fulham.

But Arsenal know they can respond by picking up three points at the G Tech Stadium and if they respond by beating bottom side, Wolves next Wednesday: the exciting prospect of extending their lead to nine points awaits.

The two sides will meet in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, March 22, with the possibility of delivering the first direct psychological blow.

Recent history shows that seven of the last 12 winners of the EFL Cup have won at least one other trophy in the same season, highlighting the importance of claiming it at Wembley next month.

They are scheduled to meet at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League in April, but a rivalry could see them face each other three times if they progress in both the Champions League and FA Cup.

While Arsenal did not sign anyone in the January transfer window, City added Antoine Semenyo, who has already scored five goals, and England international Marc Guhi, who contributed a clean sheet.

Guardiola said his side were “growing”, adding, “We were together, more calm with the ball, and we created inside and outside [runs]. I will say that the situation was not right for Nico O’Reilly and Phil [Foden] But sometimes it happens that he is in a better condition but in general really happy.

“We went through a lot at Fulham and today, physically and emotionally at Anfield, it’s really difficult but we talked a lot and I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to do it again,’ and we did.”