Pep Guardiola could find himself without Champions League football next season after Manchester City’s hopes of qualifying suffered a major setback in a 2-2 draw with Premier League top-four rivals Arsenal at Eastlands on Sunday.
Arsenal twice came from behind, goals from Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez cancelling out efforts from Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, in what was City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s final home game in charge before he is replaced by Bayern Munich’s Guardiola after the end of the season.
The draw meant Arsenal remained third but they moved to within two points of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, after their arch-north London rivals saw a miserable week end with a 2-1 loss at home to Southampton just hours earlier on Sunday.
In Sunday’s other Premier League match, Liverpool rounded off a week that saw them beat Villarreal to reach the Europa League final with a 2-0 win at home to Watford, thanks to a goal in each half at Anfield from Joe Allen and Brazil’s Roberto Firmino.