Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores has said that Manchester City are favourites to lift the Premier League title this season.
The Hornets led 1-0 midway through the second-half of their game against Manuel Pellegrini's side at Vicarage Road on Saturday evening - courtesy of an Aleksander Kolorov own goal, heading in his own net after a Ben Watson corner had put him under pressure - but two late City goals stunned the crowd and extinguished Watford's spirit, consigning the Hornets to back-to-back Premier League defeats.
Stunned at the death
Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero scored within two minutes of each other to complete an incredible turnaround for City, who for long periods in the game struggled under the pressure applied by the Watford players. The three points allowed them to stay within touching distance of Arsenal and Leicester City in the race for the title. The Citizens are now second in the league table, just a point behind surprise package Leicester, and three adrift of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, who sit top after their 1-0 victory over Newcastle United this weekend.
It was a frustrating conclusion to the game for Flores, who said his side "deserved more" from the game. When asked about the battle for the Premier League table and if City were the favourites to win it, Flores said he "thought so in the first leg (half of the season)" and he "keep[s] thinking the same", describing David Silva and Aguero as the best players he's managed, hailing the latter "one of the best players in the world".
Despite the defeat, Flores has said that his side "have plenty of reasons to be positive" as they look to continue 2016 in the same vein as the last 12 months - a year that saw them promoted from the Sky Bet Championship to the Premier League, before exceeding all expectations and providing some real shocks and upsets this campaign.