Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini admits that he did not expect his side to lose at home to league leaders Leicester City.
The Foxes extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium, where a win for the hosts would have seen them leapfrog Claudio Ranieri’s surprise package.
The loss was City’s third home league defeat of the season – following West Ham’s 2-1 triumph and Liverpool’s 4-1 destruction.
Pellegrini, speaking after the game, remained optimistic about the Sky Blues’ title chances and named Leicester’s trip to Arsenal next weekend as a season-defining match.
We’ll see what happens between Arsenal and Leicester. There are too many things that can happen with 39 points to play for – but this was a defeat we did not expect.
The Chilean – who will be replaced by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola at the end of the season – also labelled Leicester as ‘favourites’ for the title after Saturday’s success.
If they continue the way they are playing they are favourites. They are doing well and have an advantage in points. We played against a very good team and it is fair to give them merit.
The Citizens now trail Leicester by six points with just 13 games remaining and face the added difficulty of having to compete in the FA Cup, Capital One Cup and Champions League whilst trying to sustain their title push.
