Fernandinho has warned Liverpool that Manchester City are ready to eat up ground in the title race as pressure mounts on the leaders.
The 33-year-old has injected life back into City’s midfield after returning from injury and was integral to Pep Guardiola’s defensive shape in the 2-1 win on on Thursday night. Fernandinho believes the victory has set up an intriguing race.
‘Four points is going to be interesting for the rest of the season for both teams,’ Fernandinho said.
‘They are still leaders and they have a lot of games to play. It is not easy to stay at the top because the pressure is so high. You have to win every game so we will see what happens.
‘We have a point to prove every game. You cannot blink. You get punished, all the games are high tension, so you have to be careful all the time.’
City found a different way to win against Jurgen Klopp’s side, defending courageously late on to preserve their lead.
Leroy Sane, who scored the winner with 18 minutes remaining, hailed the ‘special’ grit Guardiola instilled into his players.
The German indicated that sort of attitude will stand them in good stead as City look to become the first team in a decade to defend their crown.
‘We need to keep playing the way we play and we did that, but the way we ran and fought was a little bit special,’ Sane said. ‘We want to show we can do it both ways.
‘We ran a lot and wanted to fight. If you don’t win the duels against Liverpool, they create chances. You could see that, especially in the first half, we won a lot of duels, important duels, too.
‘You need the confidence to play like this. We have put more pressure on Liverpool.
‘We’re just four points behind them and they know it.’