Liverpool just won't give it up. Manchester City will host the dangerous Leicester City on Monday night as it aims to regain the Premier League summit from Jurgen Klopp's men in the penultimate game of the season at the Etihad Stadium.
A win for the Citizens would take them ahead of Liverpool by a point to set up a tantalising final day at the weekend to decide the title winner. The Reds looked like they would drop two points on Saturday but for Divock Origi's late winner at Newcastle United to give them all three points.
Pep Guardiola's men have a difficult job ahead of them in the form of Brendan Rodgers' Leicester. The Foxes have a potent counter-attacking threat in the form of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Marc Albrighton. It's also interesting to note that City fell to Leicester earlier in the season at the King Power Stadium.
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Since Rodgers' appointment in late February, Leicester has won six of its nine matches with Vardy hammering home 10 goals.
And Guardiola paid tribute to both Vardy and Rodgers in Friday's pre-match news conference.
"His [Vardy's] career speaks for itself, not just the last games, he's done incredible in this league. An incredible striker, his movement, finishing, fighting," Guardiola said.
"Before Leicester were a counter-attacking team, now with Brendan Rodgers they have another way to play, they can control all parts of the game so I think Brendan has showed his incredible quality as a manager.
"In two months, his team is already playing the way he wants to play. Of course with incredible quality, with so fast players, honestly I've been really impressed.
"The players know it's an incredible task for us, it's already a final for us, hopefully on Monday the people can help us and we can do what we have to do and win the game."
City has churned out hard-fought wins in recent weeks which has put it as the front-runner in the title race. Winger Raheem Sterling, who made his professional debut under Rodgers at Liverpool, has spearheaded City's championship defence.
Sterling has 17 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League and was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year awards this season.
Rodgers now rates Sterling as 'one of the best players in the world.'
"What I loved about Raheem was that, for a young boy, he knew what he wanted to be," Rodgers told reporters.
"When I ask young players what is it they want to achieve, he wanted to be one of the best players in the world - at that age [17]. And that was where he was unique, because sometimes the British players may not have that ambition.
"Off the pitch, he's an incredible kid. He's very loving and supportive of his family. You see a lot of the things that he does, and that's not just now – that's how he was back then as a young boy.
"He had a great base at Liverpool and then went on. He's taken his game to a level where he's clearly one of the best players in the world."
With inputs from Opta
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