Pep Hopeful Manchester City Can Keep Title Race Alive Until Final Match

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed hope that his side will keep the Premier League title race alive until the final day following their 3-0 demolition of Crystal Palace. City, who made six substitutions after beating Brentford 3-0, moved to 77 points from 36 matches with a commanding 3-0 home victory over Palace in the English Premier League 2025-26 season on May 13. The result leaves City in second place, two points behind Arsenal with the same number of matches played, and two games still remaining. With an FA Cup final against Chelsea coming on May 16, Guardiola hopes to secure that trophy before returning to chase the Premier League crown down to the wire. "We know if we had faced Brentford and today already, there would be nothing left to do, but now we're trying to bring hope into the final match," Guardiola said. "The next opponents are Bournemouth—wow, look at what they're doing—and Aston Villa. We know Unai Emery well; we'll try to give our all." On the FA Cup final, he added: "I'm delighted to return to play a final at this stadium again. I hope it goes better than the previous two times." Guardiola also explained the six substitutions, citing fatigue concerns ahead of the Chelsea final. "Of course we have the FA Cup final, but we still have three days. Chelsea are preparing at home while we have to travel to London. That's fatigue, fatigue, and fatigue. I'm confident in every player—just imagine all the players who didn't play today; they're excellent."