Inside a Premier League Title Race in Which No One Dared to Blink

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MANCHESTER, England — In Pep Guardiola’s mind, it was over. As he trudged from the field at St. James’s Park in late January, flanked by his coaching staff, Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, was convinced that defeat at the hands of Newcastle United had stripped the Premier League title from his grasp.

The next night, he was sure, first-place Liverpool would beat Leicester City and restore its seven-point advantage at the top of the table. In the tunnel, that night, that advantage seemed unassailable.

With two of his most trusted associates, Mikel Arteta, his assistant manager, and Rodolfo Borrell, the first-team coach, Guardiola ticked through the reasons…