Pep Guardiola Blames ‘Rushed Decisions’ as Man City Drop Points to Hand Arsenal Title Advantage

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was left to rue individual mistakes and controversial refereeing calls after a dramatic draw with Everton handed a significant advantage to Premier League title rivals Arsenal.

A stunning 97th-minute equaliser from Jeremy Doku salvaged a point for City, but the result means their destiny is no longer in their own hands. City were trailing 3-1 with just seven minutes of normal time remaining before a late surge, capped by Erling Haaland's goal and Doku's last-gasp strike, saw them escape with a 3-3 draw.

The outcome leaves Arsenal in a commanding position, knowing that victories in their final three matches will secure their first league championship in 22 years.

Guardiola pointed to a series of critical moments that turned the game against his side, including Marc Guehi's error that led to Thierno Barry's equaliser and a disputed corner that resulted in Jake O'Brien's header during a chaotic 13-minute spell where Everton scored three times.

"We give away the first goal," Guardiola stated. "[For the second], the corner [awarded] isn't a corner. After that the game is open and they had the chances."

He acknowledged the high-pressure nature of the contest, adding, "You make rushed decisions. It's normal because of emotion but without emotion you cannot come back [late on]. It was in our hands. Now it isn't. We have Brentford on Saturday and we will see what happens."

City were also furious that a VAR review of Michael Keane's challenge on Doku just before halftime did not result in a red card. A visibly frustrated Guardiola commented, "What can I say? [They gave a] yellow card. It's not my job." When pressed further on the incident by Sky Sports, he simply replied, "Your pundits can say it."

Everton manager David Moyes also expressed his frustration with the officiating, led by referee Michael Oliver, after his side was denied a penalty for a tussle between Bernardo Silva and Merlin Rohl.

"If that doesn't get given as a penalty it's an absolute free for all from now on," Moyes said. "You can grapple and wrestle if you want. That's on the back of a terrible decision at West Ham. It's not the reason we didn't get a result but most people who watch football will not understand it."

Doku, whose two goals highlighted his growing influence, could not conceal his frustration despite his late heroics. "It's good that we came back because one point is not bad in games like this," he said. "But I think we gave them the game. First half we played well and created a lot of chances. We know if we don't score those chances it is going to get difficult at the end."

He concluded, "It feels painful now. There is still a lot of games to go. We lost two points today. We will keep on fighting—we owe it to ourselves and to our fans."