“What is Arsenal doing here?” - Guardiola appears to aim cheeky dig at Gunners in title race claim after Manchester City win over Crystal Palace

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola made a slight jibe about Arsenal's title challenge after watching his side beat Crystal Palace 4-2 today (April 6).

Guardiola's Cityzens went second in the Premier League after beating Palace at Selhurst Park. Kevin De Bruyne (2), Rico Lewis, and Erling Haaland were on target for the visitors while Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard hit back for the hosts.

However, Manchester City were sent down to third by Arsenal at the top of the league later in the day. Mikel Arteta's Gunners comfortably beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at the Amex with Bukayo Saka (P), Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard among the goals.

Guardiola hasn't only been dealing with the north Londoners but also Liverpool in a three-horse title race. It's the first time the Spaniard has two title challengers to contend with.

The two-time treble-winning coach alluded to this after Manchester City's victory. He reflected on past title battles while at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and jokingly asked where Arteta's side had emerged from in an interview with TNT Sports

"In Barcelona, it was always Barcelona and Madrid. With Bayern Munich it was Dortmund, so yeah maybe it is the first time with three… ‘What is Arsenal doing here?’ No, [they’re] welcome."

Guardiola was confident his reigning champions know how to get the job done:

"So, yeah, it’s three top teams, I would say, so at the end, we arrive at the end with a small margin of difference and we know exactly what we have to do.”

The Spanish tactician has a proven resume of winning two-horse title races. He saw off Real Madrid three times with Barca to win the La Liga title and Borussia Dortmund as many times with Bayern to claim three Bundesliga titles.

Guardiola's side sit third in the league after the Gunners' win and all eyes are on Liverpool tomorrow. Jurgen Klopp's Merseysiders head to Old Trafford to face Manchester United and will look to reclaim top spot.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reflects on his first meeting with eventual Manchester City colleague Pep Guardiola

Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola have a storied history.

It's easy to forget that Arteta and Guardiola worked together at Manchester City. The Arsenal boss was part of his compatriot's backroom staff at the Etihad from 2016 to 2019 with the Cityzens winning two Premier League titles.

Arteta first met Guardiola during his playing career aged 15 while they were part of Barca's youth system. Their bond grew after the Gunners manager sustained an ACL injury (via GOAL):

"Pep was the more senior one in that position and I met him when I was 15. At 26-27 years old I did my ACL and I started to connect with Pep from that moment. I'm so grateful that I did."

Arteta always desired to go into management once he hung up his boots as an Arsenal player in July 2016. He was given the chance to work with his longtime friend Guardiola:

"I started to do my coaching badges, and then I loved it more there than probably playing on grass. The opportunity came to start coaching with Pep [at Manchester City] and I'm so grateful that I did."

The Spaniard is trying to guide Arsenal to the title for the first time since 2004. They came close to ending their title drought last season but fell five points short to Manchester City by the end of the season.