Manchester City's Premier League title hopes suffered a major blow on Monday as they were held to a pulsating 3-3 draw at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, leaving them five points behind leaders Arsenal with just four games remaining. Manager Pep Guardiola offered a candid assessment after the match. "It's now not in our hands; before it was, now no," he said, acknowledging that City's fate in the title race depends on their rivals dropping points.

City had taken the lead through Belgian winger Jérémy Doku in the 43rd minute, but Everton mounted a stunning second-half comeback, with Thierno Barry scoring twice and Jack O'Brien once — in the 68th, 73rd, and 81st minutes — to put the hosts 3-1 ahead. City clawed back through Erling Haaland in the 83rd minute before Doku completed his brace with a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time, in the 97th minute, to salvage a point that could scarcely mask the frustration of two dropped. The draw ended City's run of three consecutive league victories.

The result leaves City on 71 points, five behind Arsenal, though Guardiola's side do hold a game in hand. Arsenal's remaining fixtures — against relegation-threatened West Ham United, already-relegated Burnley, and Crystal Palace — are considered more favourable on paper than City's schedule, which includes Brentford, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, and Aston Villa. Doku acknowledged the difficulty of the moment while urging his teammates not to give up. "It's painful now, but there's still a lot of games to go, and anything can happen," he said.

For Everton, a mid-table club currently sitting tenth with 48 points, the draw was equally bittersweet. Three points would have put them within striking distance of the European qualification places — they remain just three points from seventh, the last qualifying spot — but they were denied by Doku's late intervention.

Despite the title setback, City remain in contention for a domestic treble. They claimed the League Cup in March by beating Arsenal and are due to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on 16 May. Haaland's words at the final whistle, overheard by teammates, offered a defiant note: "We're still in it." Whether that belief proves warranted will likely hinge on whether Arsenal stumble in the weeks ahead.