'.

Manchester City star starts making title excuses & talks down Arsenal

Bernardo Silva has already started to make excuses in case Manchester City fail to win the Premier League, whilst playing down Arsenal as City’s rivals once again.

arsenal v manchester city premier league 5
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Bernardo Silva has never particularly endeared himself to Arsenal fans, and he didn’t do much to change that in an interview with The Athletic this week.

When given the opportunity to talk about Manchester City’s title rivals this season, the player refused to give credit to the Gunners, suggesting their current title challenge is “only natural” and that City would have won the league if they weren’t in a “transitional” period.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Bernardo Silva of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on September 21, 2025. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

“[Arsenal have] been growing and… well, it’s a team that has been together for, what, five years now, so it’s only natural that they would man up a little bit and start challenging for titles, so, yeah, let’s see what happens,” Silva began.

“I do believe our main rivals (in his time at City) were Liverpool by far. I also believe — and I know this is very subjective — that if we were not in a transitional season and if we didn’t make so many mistakes, we would have won this league.

“I don’t say we would have won easily, but we would have won this league. So it’s quite frustrating.”

Bernardo Silva of Manchester City reacts after no penalty was given by referee Farai Hallam during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Etihad Stadium on January 24, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

In other news, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel have ruled that the referee made a mistake by not awarding a penalty for Silva’s foul on Merlin Rohl during City’s recent draw with Everton.

The panel voted unanimously that a penalty should have been given, saying “there is a clear, sustained holding offence which continues as the corner is taken and the ball comes into play”.

The point City earned with that incorrect decision is one of the reasons the team will still be in the title race going into the final week.

Related Topics