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Manchester City defender John Stones weighed in on the Cityzens' Premier League title race with Arsenal after helping them beat Chelsea.
Manchester City reduced the gap with Premier League table-toppers Arsenal with a win against Chelsea on Friday, January 5. A second-half goal from Riyad Mahrez saw them beat the Blues at Stamford Bridge in what was their first match of the year.
The Gunners were notably held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle United in their last league match. This allowed the Cityzens to move within five points of them with a victory over Graham Potter's side on Friday.
The Premier League season is not at its halfway stage yet, but Arsenal and Manchester City are already engaged in a fierce title race. Mikel Arteta's side will be determined to keep their place at the top of the table come the end of the campaign.
Stones, though, has now fired a warning to the north London giants about the title race. The defender suggested that Pep Guardiola's side are well capable of taking the lead over them, pointing out that there is still a long way to go in the league. He told Sky Sports [via The Metro]:
"We don’t focus on the table, as the manager said before this game there were 66 points to play for. There’s still a long way to go and we’ve got to take it game by game."
"We’ve got to keep the momentum going. If we perform like we did today [Friday; ed.] I’m sure we’ll have a fighting chance at the end of the season."
Stones was among those who started for Manchester City against Chelsea on Friday. The England international impressed for the away side by winning all of his duels, completing 98% of his passes and making the most clearances for his team.
Arsenal and Manchester City face each other next month
It is worth noting that Arsenal and Manchester City are yet to face each other this season. They will lock horns for the first time in the Premier League this term at the Emirates Stadium on February 15.
The defending champions will then host the London outfit at the Etihad Stadium on April 26. Those two matches could have a huge say in this year's Premier League title race.
Both teams also have a tricky set of fixtures before they go up against each other next month. Arsenal have matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Everton and Brentford. The Cityzens, on the other hand, have to face the Red Devils, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Spurs(twice).
