Man City's Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma can inspire 'something special' in Premier League title race, says Gary Neville
Manchester City gave their Premier League title race hopes a major boost with a 2-1 comeback win at Liverpool; Gary Neville says Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma can help City chase down "best team" Arsenal, who now hold a six-point advantage in the standings
Sunday 8 February 2026 21:07, UK
Man City "need something really special" to topple Arsenal in the Premier League title race - but Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma could inspire them to do just that, says Gary Neville.
The trio played big roles in Man City's epic 2-1 win at Liverpool on Super Sunday which has restored the six-point gap between City and Premier League leaders Arsenal - and opened the door for City to close that difference to three with a win at Fulham on Wednesday night.
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The pressure would then be on Mikel Arteta's three-time Premier League runners-up at Brentford on Thursday.
Neville, who tipped Arsenal to be champions at the start of the season, believes the Gunners are still the best team in England - but warned City should not be written off, especially with that trio of winners within their club.
"If Man City are going to win the league, they're going to need something really special," the Sky Sports pundit said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
"For once, [they're] not the best team. Arsenal are the best team and they have got the best squad. Arsenal are playing the best football, they're the most consistent and they're the most solid.
"But what you can never do is write off Pep Guardiola, and the likes of Donnarumma and Haaland, because they've got it in them.
"They've just got it in them to produce something. They know their way around the block, they know what it's going to be like in that last five or six matches.
"So, the one thing that Arsenal have just got to be careful of is those three big characters.
"I know City have got more than that, they've got Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden and Rodri. They've got amazing players. But the goalkeeper, the centre forward and the manager are the three people who I think can win Manchester City this league.
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"Guardiola's presence, his ability to get something and win, and just continually win. He's a winning machine.
"Then there's Donnarumma and Haaland - just massive physical presences. They are dominant and world-class in their position."
After City's win at Liverpool, Bernardo Silva told Sky Sports he and his team-mates feared their title hopes would "probably" have been over had they lost at Anfield.
Instead, Neville believes their victory sets up an intriguing run-in.
"It's going to be an interesting last 13 matches," he said. "We're not into the home straight yet - but City were in danger of not being involved in the home straight if they carried on as they were.
"But that win at Anfield will relight their fire. It must relight their fire. They can't let go of that, they can't make a mistake against Fulham on Wednesday."
