Pep Guardiola accepted Manchester City face a tough fight to keep pace with Chelsea after labouring to a 3-0 victory at struggling Hull City on Monday.

City were not convincing in a drab Premier League clash at the KCOM Stadium, but eventually prevailed after scoring three times in the final 18 minutes.

Yaya Toure broke the deadlock with a 72nd-minute penalty before Kelechi Iheanacho added a second and Curtis Davies turned into his own net in injury time.

The win lifted City back to seven points behind leaders Chelsea, and Guardiola admitted there was no room for error after the Londoners won their 12th successive game earlier on Boxing Day.

Guardiola said: “Sometimes you play before (Chelsea), sometimes later – but it doesn’t matter when one team has won 12 in a row. It’s like a final for us if you want to be there until the end of the season.”

City are next in action on New Year’s Eve at Liverpool, another title rival whom Guardiola feels, like Chelsea, are benefiting from a lack of European football.

He said: “Liverpool went so close one year because they had one game a week and last year, for Leicester, it happened the same.

“This time Chelsea and Liverpool are the ones. We have played seven more than them – and important games like the Champions League – which is why it will be tough.

“But football is unpredictable. We have to do absolutely everything to be there.”

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