Pep Guardiola has framed Manchester City’s looming Premier League clash with Arsenal as a “final” after his side’s emphatic 3-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge dragged them firmly back into the title race.

City’s win, carved out by a ruthless second-half display, cut the gap to Arsenal to six points with Guardiola’s team still holding a game in hand. Goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guéhi and Jérémy Doku turned a tight contest into a statement performance, piling pressure on Mikel Arteta’s leaders, who had stumbled with a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth.

The arithmetic is now brutally simple. If City win all seven of their remaining league fixtures, they will be champions again. Arsenal, for their part, know that a perfect return from their final six games would also guarantee them the title. That makes the meeting at the Etihad Stadium a potential winner-takes-all occasion.

“Arsenal is a final,” Guardiola said after the Chelsea game. “We are going to play against a team that in 49 games lost three games, in the Champions League didn’t lose once. The respect I have for Arsenal, what they have done the last few years. I know the manager, the players, the quality, how they compete in every circumstance, that’s the biggest job we have.”

Guardiola stressed that the run-in extends beyond Arsenal, pointing to the dangers that still lie ahead. “Don’t tell me Brentford will be easy,” he warned, insisting that every remaining fixture carries jeopardy in a title race of such fine margins.

He also acknowledged the psychological weight of trying to topple a side he considers the benchmark. “They have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far. Beating Arsenal once is so difficult — imagine beating them twice in a few weeks.”

City’s resurgence has been fuelled by the creativity of Rayan Cherki, the summer signing from Lyon, who orchestrated the win at Chelsea with two assists and has now reached double figures for assists in his debut Premier League campaign.

“Rayan is an extraordinary talent,” Guardiola said. “The second goal, the pass to Marc. The problem for Rayan is sometimes he plays in positions too close to the goalkeeper — your talent has to be in the final third. Be close to Haaland, close to wingers. We will bring the ball to you.”

Guardiola believes Cherki’s hunger to improve mirrors City’s own. With European distractions gone, he senses a squad sharpening its focus for a domestic run-in that now hinges on a single, defining night against Arsenal.