Mancini: Title race is not over

Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, remained defiant last night in face of the mounting odds against his team and their attempts to retain the Premier League title they won in such magnificent fashion last May.

A 2-2 home draw with Liverpool, 24 hours after Manchester United opened a 10-point advantage at the top by beating Fulham, left City trailing their rivals by nine points with 13 games to play.

Given that City won the league so memorably in 2012, by recovering an eight-point disadvantage over the final six games, Mancini’s optimism was understandable. But a dispiriting goalless draw at QPR in midweek was followed by another faltering display against a Liverpool team struggling for consistency and results, particularly against the division’s better teams.