Kyle Walker sends warning to Arsenal after Man City lose ground in title race

City trail the Gunners by two points and have played a game more

Manchester City’s Kyle Walker (centre) and Nottingham Forest’s Danilo (left) battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Saturday February 18, 2023. (PA Wire)

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has promised his side will keep fighting in the Premier League title race after they suffered a blow at Nottingham Forest.

City looked set to return to the top of the table after Arsenal’s lunchtime win over Aston Villa when they went ahead through Bernardo Silva’s first-half stunner at the City Ground.

But a string of missed chances after the break, including two from Erling Haaland, proved costly and Chris Wood’s first goal for Forest in the 84th minute earned a point.

The draw, which should have been off the table for the hosts, means the Gunners now hold a two-point lead over City at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Walker says the two dropped points at the City Ground undoes all of the good work they produced in winning at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday and warned his side they cannot afford to be so wasteful again.

“That’s the biggest blow. You do all that hard work and for a Manchester City side to have 36 per cent possession – to graft that out and put in a very solid performance at the Emirates against a tough team – to then come here and draw, we’ve thrown it away,” Walker said.

“We’re not down and we’re not out – we’ll keep going and keep fighting until the very end and put this down as a blip.

“We know it’s not acceptable as a team and hopefully now that’s our blips done, and we can go on.

“It’s not ideal [trailing Arsenal]. Obviously, we would like to be sat at the top and people trying to catch us, but Arsenal have done well this season – they play some good football and deservedly sit at the top but they’re in touching distance.

“We just need to make sure that these performances don’t happen again, we finish our chances and defend well as a team, and we stick together.

“We need to move on. It’s done now, the whistle’s blown and we move on to a massive game on Wednesday in the Champions League (against Leipzig) and then go to a tough place in Bournemouth.

“We know what we can do as a team – our qualities and our strengths. It’s doable [catching Arsenal]. We’re not making it easy for ourselves – getting close and then not taking advantage of it.

“This team will fight until the end like we have done on many occasions. That’s what we do. Everyone around Manchester City knows that today wasn’t acceptable.”