Kevin De Bruyne ABSENT from Man City squad in boost to Arsenal's slim Premier League hopes

Kevin De Bruyne was not named in the Manchester City squad through injury in a boost to Arsenal's title hopes.

Victory over Fulham would allow City to leapfrog the Gunners into first place in the Premier League table, with the club still having an additional game in hand on their title rivals.

However, eyebrows were raised when Pep Guardiola's team was revealed ahead of City's clash against Fulham.

The club made two changes from their 4-1 demolition of Arsenal with Riyad Mahrez returning to the starting XI in place of Bernardo Silva.

Moreover, City's talisman Kevin De Bruyne was not named in City's match day squad due to an injury, with Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez taking the 31-year-old's place.

De Bruyne scored twice and claimed an assist in City's dominant victory over Arsenal on Wednesday. The Belgian midfielder has long been lauded as one of the Premier League's best players and this term has made 29 league appearances, contributing seven goals and 18 assists in City's race to retain the title.

Pep Guardiola tells Man City to retain focus

City's victory over Arsenal was the club's seventh in a row in the Premier League, with Guardiola's side again hitting form at crunch time in the season to move within touching distance of a third league trophy lift in succession.

However, with the City also bidding for Champions League and FA Cup glory, Guardiola insisted City's Premier League chase is far from over.

Speaking to Sky Sports the Spaniard said: “At the end of the season, fighting for the title is the best feeling that we can have and the Premier League is in our hands.

“It doesn’t matter what happens in London, at the Emirates, it depends on us.

“We must just look at ourselves, perform every single game like we’ve performed the last two, three, four months, do everything and we’ll be closer and closer to the something exceptional.

“We cannot deny, winning another Premier League, how exceptional it would be.

“When you have that depending on us – you can drop it because you are not good, but not because you destruct or you start to listen to the wrong messages that it is already done. It is done when it is done and still, it is not done.”