Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta respond to Premier League title race twist after Liverpool victory

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have weighed in on their Premier League title hopes following setbacks that let Liverpool soar to the top of the table. with a second-half resurgence featuring strikes from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, catapulting them to the summit of the league table.

Brighton's loss earlier to Liverpool, combined with falling to Newcastle and also stumbling, handed Jurgen Klopp's men a two-point buffer at the top after 10 fixtures had been played.

Arsenal's setback came in the form of a narrow 1-0 defeat at Newcastle, which momentarily left them four points shy of Liverpool before the Reds kicked off against Brighton, amplifying Arsenal's disillusionment after the match. The Gunners now trail by seven points and could slip as low as sixth after Sunday's games involving Aston Villa and Chelsea.

In the aftermath of the loss at St. James' Park and facing a sizeable gap behind Liverpool, Arteta was quizzed about the title race implications.

"I understand it but after eight, nine or 10 games last year we didn't [talk about it] and we won't talk about it now," Arteta declared to the press.

"It's about how you react to that. We're not going to find the right words or answers to describe how we feel, so we have to put it on that field on Wednesday night against Inter [Milan]."

The battle for Premier League glory continues to intensify, with every game bearing the potential to shuffle the fierce competition that crowns England's best.

City , with Josko Gvardiol's late goal only a consolation following strikes from Antoine Semenyo and Evanlison. Liverpool now sits two points clear of City after 10 games as both teams prepare for their final fixtures before the November international break.

Guardiola reflected on the loss to Bournemouth and discussed City's approach to bouncing back in the title race. "Sometimes we have to accept that the opponents make a type of game," the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss said.

"Sometimes you handle it, and sometimes you struggle a little bit. Today [Saturday] it [the struggle] happened. [The players] make an incredible effort. They are players that are not in the best way and they made an incredible effort to be here."

"Manu [Akanji] and Nathan [Ake] were not in a good condition. Until the last moment, I didn't know Nathan could play, he said I want to try [despite injury]. During the season, sometimes this kind of thing happens more than during other seasons... We have to handle it. People will come back and, sooner or later, the team will be back."