Pep Guardiola playfully urged West Ham to take points off Arsenal in the title race when the leaders play them on Sunday, saying: “Come on you Irons,” at the end of his press conference after Manchester City beat Brentford.
City’s 3-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium closed the gap to Mikel Arteta’s team to two points but Arsenal cannot be caught if they win their last three matches, starting at the London Stadium. Conscious of this, Guardiola crossed his arms to mimic the hammers on the West Ham badge and smiled as he said: “Come on you Irons.”
After Sunday’s late game, Arsenal host Burnley and visit Crystal Palace. City play Palace on Wednesday, before visiting Bournemouth three days after Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, then Aston Villa on the season’s concluding Sunday.
Guardiola was asked if there might be more twists in the championship tussle. “I don’t know,” he said. “We are fighting with a team quite similar to Liverpool in the past, that is in the final of the Champions League without losing a game and have been top of the league almost all season. It’s not in our hands so it depends on them dropping points but all we can do is Wednesday win again, play the final of the FA Cup and go to Bournemouth – I’d say that is not the best one to go – and then Aston Villa so the calendar is demanding.
“But it’s simple. It’s just two weeks and the season will be over. I love it – love to be here again, finish second again is the minimum so I love it. The Carabao Cup is in our pocket, the Cup final at Wembley is the most beautiful day of the season and I love it.”
Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
In the Guardian app, tap the Profile settings button at the top right, then select Notifications. Turn on sport notifications.
If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
If you don't have the Guardian app, download it from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
Second-half goals from Jérémy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush defeated Keith Andrews’ team though Brentford’s manager was not happy about Kevin Schade not being awarded a penalty at 1-0 down, when Matheus Nunes appeared to bring him down in City’s penalty area.
Andrews said: “The comment I heard [from the officials] was ‘not enough contact’. For someone who is as quick as Kevin Schade, I don’t know how much contact it needs. Not with how quick Kevin is. It’s disappointing.
“The officials have a really difficult job with the speed of the game – it’s so hard – and players are trying to get decisions. I just felt we were going to get one.”
Brentford are in eighth and pushing for European football next season. “I’ve not seen anything other than ambition and energy from the players in the last few weeks,” Andrews said. “We’re looking stronger from the bench. I anticipate we’ll get two good performances and let’s see where that leaves us.”