• Premier League

City feeling title pressure - Hart

ESPNsoccernet staff
December 28, 2011
Joe Hart shows his frustration © PA Photos
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Joe Hart admits Manchester City are feeling the pressure from Premier League rivals Manchester United, but insists his side are still the team to beat in the title race.

Hart says he and his team-mates are up for the fight as he acknowledged the heat being generated by an in-form United.

Having dominated domestically in the early part of the season, City were pegged back at the top of the table on Boxing Day, with the red half of the city pulling level on points courtesy of a 5-0 win over Wigan. That came as City were drawing 0-0 at West Brom, with now only a superior goal difference keeping them on top.

"Of course we feel the pressure," Hart is quoted as saying in the English press. "You have to earn the title and it's hard work.

"We're the team to beat and we're enjoying that but it's not always going to be as easy as we've sometimes made it look in the past.

"Of course it's disappointing not to have won again but West Brom set out for a point and they got it. We need to be winning these games but we haven't and we move on."

By the time City take on Sunderland this weekend, they could have been relegated to second spot by a United win over Blackburn on Saturday. Hart, though, accepts that such challenges are part of the push for Premier League honours.

"The league is not set up for us to win it. Everyone has their own private little things that they're trying to do - if they're not challenging for the title, they're challenging for Europe, if they're not challenging for Europe they want to stay above the relegation zone.

"Everyone has got their own agendas. There is all sorts of pressure and we're feeling it," Hart said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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