Phil Foden backs Guardiola as Manchester City's title hopes fade

At the Etihad Stadium, City took the lead through Josko Gvardiol's header, but United struck back late.

Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty before Amad Diallo scored the decisive winner in stoppage time, handing City their eighth loss in 11 matches.

The result leaves City fifth in the Premier League standings, nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who still have a game in hand.

Their hopes of winning a fifth consecutive league title now appear increasingly unlikely.

City's struggles began with a Carabao Cup exit at Tottenham on 30 October, marking the start of a poor run of form.

Despite the setbacks, Guardiola remains secure in his position after signing a new contract until 2027.

Speaking after the derby defeat, Foden insisted the players still trust in Guardiola and the "process," as they aim to reverse their fortunes.

"We are still nowhere near our level, but I still believe that we are playing good enough to get points and results," attacking midfielder Foden said.

"It's about remaining focused throughout the full 90 minutes, but we keep switching off at important times. We just need to get the focus right.

"We stick together, regroup and believe in ourselves after what we've achieved in the past.

"We keep believing in the process and the manager - I'm sure if we do that we will get back to winning ways and get back to our level.

"I can't put a finger on what's going on.

"I thought the performance was more than good enough to get the result, but we come out with no points, and it seems to be the same story at the moment. We just have to stick together.

"The changing room is obviously going to be down and sad at the moment, but we can't dwell on this too much - we have to try and pick ourselves back up.

"In football there is always another opportunity to make it right."

City now have a free midweek to regroup ahead of their next Premier League fixture, a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.  

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