Gianluigi Donnarumma’s title race message to Manchester City squad as Arsenal suffer shock Bournemouth loss

Gianluigi Donnarumma’s title race message to Manchester City squad as Arsenal suffer shock Bournemouth loss

• Donnarumma insists Man City will hang on until the end and stay on Arsenal’s toes
• Italian acknowledges title is no longer in City’s hands but urges the squad to push to the end
• Arsenal suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth ahead of City’s trip to Chelsea

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has insisted the Blues will continue to put pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal till the end of the season.

The Gunners suffered a significant stumble on Saturday afternoon, falling to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium, handing City an unexpected boost heading into Sunday’s crucial meeting with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City head down south with momentum they have not felt since the early stages of the campaign, having lost significant ground in the title race in March courtesy of back-to-back draws with Nottingham Forest and West Ham.

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The Blues beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley and demolished Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium in successive recent outings, with Pep Guardiola returning to the dugout in west London this weekend after serving a two-game touchline ban.

Donnarumma has been a near ever-present this season since joining from Paris Saint-Germain for £26 million on deadline day last summer and has spoken openly in recent days of the profound effect Guardiola has had on his development – describing the experience of working with the Catalan as something that “until you live it, you’ll never understand.”

We’ll put pressure on Arsenal till the end, says Donnarumma

In conversation with Manchester City’s official media channels ahead of Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge, Donnarumma was candid about the scale of the challenge ahead while refusing to concede the title race is over.

“You feel it,” the 27-year-old goalkeeper said of the pressure bearing down on the domestic treble chasing squad in the final weeks of the campaign.

“The destiny is no longer in our hands but we’ll try to hang on until the end and put pressure on them (Arsenal). But these two games (Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League) are important.

“It’s always going to be complicated. It will be difficult because going there (to Stamford Bridge) is never easy. We hope to get a great result, it’s very important for the title race.”

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What is the wider context for City’s title push?

Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday means the gap between the two clubs has now been reduced, with City having the chance to cut the deficit further with three points at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders has already rallied the squad to keep up the pressure on Arsenal after putting Liverpool to the sword last week, insisting the Blues must kick on from their recent cup heroics and take their form into Premier League run-in.

Donnarumma himself has been integral to City’s recent run, saving a Mohamed Salah penalty in the 4-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend in what was another assured display from the Italy international between the sticks.

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With Arsenal having now shown signs of the kind of faltering form that City supporters had been hoping for, Donnarumma’s words capture the mood within the dressing room perfectly – cautious optimism, a clear-eyed understanding of what still needs to be done and a collective refusal to surrender the race without a fight.