Setback for City’s top-4 bid

London. — Alexis Sanchez’s 68th-minute equaliser dealt a potentially fatal blow to Manchester City’s Champions League qualification hopes as Arsenal claimed a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium yesterday. In his final home game as City manager before handing over to Pep Guardiola, Manuel Pellegrini saw Kevin De Bruyne put the hosts in front after Sergio Aguero’s early opener was cancelled out by Olivier Giroud.

But Sanchez’s strike means that Pellegrini is now dependent on fifth-place Manchester United dropping points in their last two games — or Arsenal losing at home to Aston Villa — if his side are to finish in the top four.

Having seen his team tamely concede defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday, it threatens to be a miserable end to Pellegrini’s three-year tenure, which has yielded the 2013-14 Premier League title and two League Cups.

For Arsenal, victory over Villa in next Sunday’s final game will secure a Champions League berth for the 19th season running and they could yet finish above local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who they trail by two points.

The match programme contained a message from Emirati club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak thanking Pellegrini and hailing his “engaging approach, integrity and humility”.

In his own notes, Pellegrini describing managing City as a “privilege” and said that he would “take nothing but great memories” to his next job.

City failed to register a single shot on target in their meek 1-0 Champions League semi-final defeat at Real Madrid, but after a sprightly start they went ahead in the eighth minute.

Jesus Navas’s cross from the right was nodded back and down by Fernandinho and Aguero eluded Mohamed Elneny before driving a left-foot shot into Petr Cech’s bottom-left corner.

Arsenal had barely set foot in City’s half, but within two minutes their former player Gael Clichy offered them an attacking foothold with a misjudged back header that bobbled past a scrambling Joe Hart, hit the post and went behind for a corner.

Eliaquim Mangala, deputising for injured skipper Vincent Kompany, misjudged Elneny’s delivery and Giroud headed home his first goal in 16 league outings.

Arsenal were quickly deflated again, however, as an apparent knee injury to Welbeck saw the England forward walk straight off the pitch and down the tunnel, with Jack Wilshere coming on and Alex Iwobi moving wide.

Arsenal were already missing German playmaker Mesut Ozil due to what the club said was a “slight hip injury”.

After warning shots from Jesus Navas and Fernandinho, City went ahead in the 51st minute.

De Bruyne brought down a bouncing ball just inside the Arsenal half and held off Hector Bellerin before surging towards goal, cutting inside Elneny and guiding a low shot past Cech’s outstretched right hand.

In another match played yesterday, Steven Davis added to Tottenham’s misery in the aftermath of their failed Premier League title challenge as the Southampton midfielder’s double sealed a 2-1 win.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side had gifted the crown to Leicester after squandering the lead in successive draws against West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea and their gloom deepened after another self-inflicted setback at White Hart Lane.

Having taken an early lead through South Korea midfielder Son Heung-Min, Tottenham were on course to effectively guarantee a second place finish.

But a mistake from Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris allowed Davis to equalise before half-time and the Northern Ireland international struck again after the break to leave the north Londoners without a win in their last three matches.

Meanwhile, a much-changed Liverpool side still had too much class for Watford as goals from Joe Allen and Roberto Firmino gave Juergen Klopp’s side a comfortable 2-0 win at Anfield yesterday.

Allen and Christian Benteke, who have struggled to secure first-team spots this season, combined well for the opener after 35 minutes when the Welshman burst on to the striker’s knock-down.

Klopp’s side continued to dominate after the break and Firmino added a second with a right-foot shot from outside the box after 76 minutes.

The victory left Europa League finalists Liverpool eighth in the table with two games remaining. Watford stayed 13th. — AFP/DailyMail.