Matheus Nunes Makes Title Race Prediction After Manchester City Defeat to Newcastle United
Matheus Nunes has issued a rallying call to his Manchester City teammates after their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening.
The loss dealt another major blow to City’s Premier League title hopes, with Harvey Barnes’ brace handing Pep Guardiola’s side their fourth league defeat of the 2025/26 season. The result saw City drop to third place in the table, following Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Burnley earlier in the day.
Arsenal now have the opportunity to stretch their lead at the top to six points with a win in Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham, placing even more importance on the Gunners’ blistering start to the campaign.
Nunes Admits Performance Fell Short
Speaking after the defeat, Nunes acknowledged that Manchester City were far from their best but insisted that the team is still firmly in the title race:
“We had a lot of chances we could have converted, and we would be talking through a different game. But this is football. We didn’t take our chances, they took it, so it is what it is.”
City created several clear opportunities in the match but were unable to capitalise. Nunes believes that on another day, City’s recent strong form would have helped them take those chances:
“Today wasn’t our day. If it was on another day, we would’ve put all the balls in the net and the result would be different. I don’t think there is any magical explanation.”
Focus Shifts to Upcoming Fixtures
Despite the frustration, Nunes emphasised that City must quickly regroup with another fixture approaching:
“Any defeat would be frustrating. The good part is that we have another game in two or three days. And that’s our focus now.”
He also delivered an optimistic prediction about City’s title chances:
“There’s still a lot of points to play. Pretty sure we’re going to be there [competing for the title] in the end.”
Manchester City will now look to bounce back in midweek when they face Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad Stadium, aiming to take another crucial step toward securing qualification for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
