Daniel Farke sends message to Arsenal and Chelsea after Man City beat Leeds | Football

Daniel Farke says Arsenal and Chelsea will have to face “one of the best teams in the world” in Manchester City and “without doubt the best manager in the world” in Pep Guardiola to win the Premier League.

Man City survived a major scare to beat Farke’s Leeds United 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and climb to second place in the Premier League.

Phil Foden scored the fastest goal of the Premier League season to give City the lead in the first minute of the match.

A routine Manchester City victory looked inevitable when Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts’ lead midway through the first half.

But Leeds, destined for relegation after promotion to the Championship, staged an impressive comeback and equalized thanks to second-half goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha.

City were on course to drop points for the second week in a row following last week’s defeat to Newcastle United, but Foden scored an injury-time winner to lift Guardiola’s side into second place, two points above Chelsea.

Chelsea could of course reclaim that position and move to within three points of the Premier League summit on Sunday when they play their game in hand against early leaders Arsenal.

Manchester City won four successive league titles under Guardiola before finishing third last season, three points behind Arsenal and 13 adrift of Liverpool.

Man City’s inconsistent form has continued this season, but Farke has warned Arsenal and Chelsea that Guardiola’s side remains “one of the best in the world”.

“First of all, congratulations to Pep and Man City,” Farke said in his post-match press conference. “Today we played one of the best teams, not only in the UK but in the world.

“They have been the most successful team in the UK over the last decade and certainly have the best manager in the world.

“Manchester City are a team full of superstars and full of class, and a moment of magic from Phil Foden with a superb finish is the defining moment for them.

“It’s a real heartbreak and bad luck for my players, but they should take a lot of pride and a lot of confidence from it, especially the performance in the second half.

“We didn’t come here for compliments or warm words, we came here for points. We had the worst start to the match possible.

“Normally if you want points here you have to win set pieces. I have to give a lot of compliments to my guys because we deserve something from the game.

Manchester City hero Phil Foden has admitted the club’s first attempt at the title hasn’t been “simple” but hopes they can “hit the ground running” after Leeds’ dramatic victory.

“It’s one of the craziest games,” Foden said. “We were in total control in the first half. They changed their system in the second half and we couldn’t get going.

“It was a frustrating half. But when there was a little break, the manager brought us together and we adapted to their training.

“We had a few half chances and eventually I found some space and found the back of the net. There are still things we can improve on. We are delighted with the result.

“The title race is never easy. There are always ups and downs and periods where you can’t get going and we had that.

“Trust and unity showed at the end. Hopefully that’s the case today and we can hit the ground running from here. But you never know what to expect.

Guardiola, meanwhile, admitted he would be an intrigued spectator when Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Sunday.

The Gunners, seeking their first league title since 2004, have lost just once this season – ironically to deposed Premier League champions Liverpool – conceding just six goals in 12 games.

“I was relieved when he scored in the last minute and the other (I thought) he is a great character,” Guardiola said. “I was relieved, yes.

“The match wasn’t perfect in the first half, but it should be finished given the chances we have and we didn’t concede a goal.

“Winning all three points and after two defeats is extremely important for our mood. It is important to be second and we will see tomorrow what happens at Arsenal and Chelsea.

“But it’s important to be as close to the top as possible and try until the end.”

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