Soccer: Manchester City return to action tomorrow night vowing to fight on in their now apparently doomed title bid. City's hopes of claiming a first league crown in 44 years seem in tatters after a sequence of damaging results over the past month.

Roberto Mancini’s men trail rivals Manchester United by eight points at the top of the Barclays Premier League with just six games remaining; a month after they held a two-point lead.

City have collected just five points from their last five outings with Sunday’s defeat at Arsenal seeming the decisive blow. However defender Joleon Lescott vowed: “It’s out of our hands but we’ve got to keep going and if United slip up then we’ve got to be there to capitalise. If they don’t, then obviously it’s going to be impossible for us to catch them now.

“We’re professional and we owe it to the fans that we’re not going to roll over and die. We’ve got to apply ourselves in the right way in every game.”

Failure to win the title would be a crushing blow for City after leading the table for most of the season. Yet even if it is not going to happen, Lescott believes City have another good reason to fight on; to at least ensure United do not leave the Etihad Stadium as champions later this month.

The sides are due to meet on April 30th and only by winning all their games until then, and then beating United, can City at least soften the blow by making their rivals wait until after the derby. Lescott, 29, said: “We don't want to let them win it at the Etihad Stadium.

“We’ll do everything in our power not to let that happen. It’s not going to mean much if we do the double over United and lose the league but I’m sure that when that game comes around everyone will be raring to go.”