Pep Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City's Premier League title hopes have taken a serious hit after their dramatic 3-3 draw with Everton, but the Catalan boss insists his side will keep fighting until the very end.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's crucial home clash against Brentford, Guardiola was refreshingly honest about the challenge facing his team. "It's more difficult now," the 55-year-old admitted. "We dropped two points in a tough game against Everton, and that has made things harder for us."

City currently sit five points behind league leaders Arsenal, though they do have a game in hand. But with just a handful of matches remaining, the margin for error has evaporated. Guardiola's men now need to win all their remaining fixtures and hope the Gunners slip up somewhere along the way.

In a classy moment during his press conference, Guardiola took time to congratulate Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on reaching the Champions League final, as well as acknowledging the European success of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace this season. "It's good for English football to have three teams in three finals," he said. "Unai Emery showed again what an incredible manager he is, and Oliver Glasner has done a fantastic job at Crystal Palace."

When asked directly if the title race was effectively over, Guardiola didn't shy away from the reality of the situation. "The only chance we had, we dropped two points," he reflected. "But still, we try to win, we try to sleep well, and we focus on what we can control."

That focus now turns to Brentford, a team that has proven tricky for City in recent seasons. With the title slipping away, Guardiola's message to his players is simple: "Let's win against Brentford. That's all we can do right now."

As for whether he'll be watching West Ham vs Arsenal on Sunday, Guardiola cracked a wry smile: "Maybe I'll have a look. But first, we need to take care of our own business."