After beating Brighton, Guardiola maintains Liverpool are still in the EPL title race

Liverpool can still beat Manchester City and Arsenal to the Premier League title, Pep Guardiola has boldly insisted.

Guardiola’s City side moved closer to winning a fourth straight title after thrashing Brighton 4-0 on Thursday night.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez, either side of a Phil Foden brace, sealed the three points in what was a very easy win at the Amex.

As a result, Arsenal remains top of the table but City are now just a point behind with a game in hand.

Liverpool meanwhile are two points further back and many believe their title ambitions are over after shock, back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Everton.

Following the 2-0 loss in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk were very pessimistic about their chances, but Guardiola insists they are still in it.

Asked whether he felt the title race was just between Man City and Arsenal now, the manager told BBC Sport: ‘It is not.

 ‘What happened to Liverpool, two defeats in a row, it can happen to Arsenal, it can happen to us. Nobody is safe from that.

‘What is important is that still we are there. There is a lot of games to play.

‘Many things can happen. We have to rest. Now it is just recover and go on to the next one.’

Guardiola's side were in an imperious mood at the Amex Stadium from the moment Kevin De Bruyne headed them into an early lead.

Foden struck twice before the interval to put the result beyond doubt.

Alvarez ended his goal drought after half-time to ensure injured striker Erling Haaland wasn't missed as his absence with a muscle problem stretched to a second successive game.

City's stroll on the south coast kept the destiny of the title in their hands.

Guardiola's team, who have a game in hand on both Arsenal and third-placed Liverpool, will be crowned champions for an unprecedented fourth successive season if they win their last five matches.

With at least four goals in each of their last four league games, City are rounding into form at just the right moment once again.

Next up for City, who are unbeaten in 18 league games, is a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, while Arsenal head to Tottenham just hours earlier.

Guardiola has bemoaned the "unacceptable" fixture schedule that he believes puts his players' health at risk, blaming the pile-up for their sluggish performance in Saturday's 1-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinals.