Pep Guardiola makes Premier League title admission as Liverpool seizes upper hand

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has admitted that "another team" may deserve to win the Premier League this season after they lost 2-1 to Brighton on Saturday.

City won a record fourth straight Premier League title last season but is suffering a rare drought under Guardiola, losing the last four games in all competitions. City was eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Tottenham and was also thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

In the Premier League, City has started November with defeats against Bournemouth and Brighton. Following City's latest defeat, Guardiola told BBC Sport: "Maybe after seven years winning six Premier Leagues, maybe one year another team deserve it."

City is now five points behind Liverpool heading into the final international break of 2024 after the Reds took full advantage and beat Aston Villa 2-0. While Guardiola has taken issue with international breaks in the past, given the current situation, the City head coach is grateful for the opportunity to reset.

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"We are not able to do 90 minutes right now'" he told BBC Match of the Day. "We played a really good first half and moments in the second half. We lost again so clean our heads, international break and hopefully, our players come back fit.

"We have to try and win games again. We were not able to sustain the rhythm in the second half. Four [defeats] in a row. We have to change things quick. The schedule becomes tough but it is going to happen when the players come back."

Liverpool wasn't expected to challenge for the Premier League title this season, but given the current state of play the Reds are now deemed a serious contender. However, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold isn't allowing his focus to be impacted.

"It's still early doors but we have set a good foundation for the rest of the season," Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports before the win over Aston Villa. "We have been here before. We've had good starts to a season before and ended up with no trophies."

Given Liverpool's early lead, it makes the Dec. 1 clash against City even more decisive as the Reds look to pull away from the Premier League champions. However, Alexander-Arnold suffered an injury on Saturday and was forced off in the first half which could be a major blow for Liverpool.

"We are really happy that most of our players have stayed fit through this tough run," Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said after Saturday's 2-0 win. "We have to wait and see how Trent is doing. If I look at the games that are ahead they are tough. It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin but it is small. Many challenges to come for us."