Pep Guardiola says Manchester City must dig deep to match Arsenal’s hunger as they battle to close the gap on the Premier League leaders. City battled back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-2 on Thursday, with Riyad Mahrez scoring twice as the champions avoided a third straight defeat in all competitions. Guardiola’s side, who are five points behind leaders Arsenal, are chasing their fifth Premier League title in six years.

Four titles in five years

In contrast, Arsenal have not lifted the trophy since 2004 and the City boss believes that might have given Mikel Arteta’s men an edge in their surge to the top of the table. “We have the problem that we have four Premier Leagues in five years and Arsenal have two decades without anything,” said Guardiola, whose team play Arsenal in the FA Cup next week and the EPL in February.