Manchester City star Nathan Ake has insisted the team won't be sidetracked by Arsenal's results in the gripping Premier League title race.

City narrowed the gap with a solid 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest, courtesy of strikes from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland, and still have a game in hand. Arsenal had earlier beat Tottenham 3-2 in a gripping North London Derby, with Mikel Arteta's side currently one point ahead of City.

With Arsenal set to face Bournemouth earlier on Saturday, City could find themselves four points behind by the time they kick off against Wolves that evening. However, the squad remains unfazed by the chase, knowing that winning their remaining four matches would secure them an extraordinary fourth consecutive title.

“For me it doesn’t matter really,” Ake said. “It’s in our hands so we’re not depending on what they do. That’s the difference from last year, we were still depending on what they were doing.

“This season it’s in our hands. We know if we win the next four we are champions. The only thing we have to do is focus on the next one. I think everyone’s got the experience but in the end experience doesn’t really make a difference. It’s about now, what we do now. At the moment it’s going well but we know what we have to do in the end — win four games and we can be champions again.”

Manchester City may have secured a win at the City Ground, but their performance left much to be desired, with Forest's missed opportunities which Pep Guardiola oddly blamed on the pitch conditions playing a part in City's narrow escape. With a challenging fixture schedule ahead, including matches against Wolves, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham, Dutch defender Ake is under no illusions about the task at hand.

“It’s so close but it’s also so far away,” he said. “I think every game is going to be a tough one.

“It felt like today people expect us to win but it’s never easy these kind of games. Next week we have another that will be tough and the only thing we can do is game by game. I know it sounds cliched but it is the only thing I can do.”

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