Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has admitted Manchester City closing in on a fourth successive Premier League title with 115 financial charges hanging over their head has left a sour taste.

City moved one point clear at the top of the table on Tuesday evening after earning a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, displacing Arsenal as the league leaders in the process.

Arsenal, in the last two seasons, have taken on a role assumed by Liverpool in recent years by going toe-to-toe for the title with Pep Guardiola's side, despite being able to boast the same financial power both in terms of spending and wages.

The Sky Blues, barring a final-day collapse against West Ham United, are now set to become the first team to win the English top-flight four years running, continuing their period of dominance over the last decade. Liverpool are the only team to have stopped City from claiming top spot since the 2017/18 campaign.

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All of this has occurred amid the backdrop of the 115 charges brought against City in February 2023, with a final verdict on the case yet to be determined. But, should they be found of wrongdoing, which the club strongly denies, they could face a significant points deduction, be stripped of titles or even demoted as punishment.

Discussing the feeling of watching City on their way to glory, given the above circumstances, McAteer raised the point of how many titles Liverpool would have won without City's alleged overspending. He told beIN SPORTS: "My team, Liverpool, have taken them to the wire. They've been so close a lot of the time and it does stick in your throat when you think how close we got to them and how many titles we could've won. You look at the circumstances where they can essentially spend whatever they want and they've got fantastic lawyers and even better accountants, so it does stick in your throat.

"I asked the question last night: Mikel Arteta is so close to this title. Last season they slipped up with a few games to go but this year they could win it on the final day. If they lose it, what is going through his head with Man City, how they do business and these 115 charges?"

Adding to this debate, Richard Keys stated: "If I was a Manchester City fan, I'd want this sorted now. If those charges can be argued to completion and Man City are able to say 'we're not guilty', great. Everything they've won over the last 10 years, they can relax with and enjoy. But if, if they are found guilty, it dilutes everything they've done."