Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has admitted that Arsenal “deserve” to be top of the table.
Guardiola has seen his former assistant Mikel Arteta lead the Gunners to be title contenders this season.
Arsenal has remained at the summit of the Premier League for most of the campaign.
Although they lost it briefly when City won 3-1 at the Emirates, Arteta’s men have since won three games in a row and opened a five-point gap.
Guardiola will be hoping his team cuts it to two points when they host Newcastle in Saturday’s early kick-off.
“The way we played after Arsenal was really good, we could not win all the games because football is like that.
“Arsenal are in their position because they deserve it.
“They are many games left to play. Many things are going to happen,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.