Manchester City must hit the ground running if they are to catch Arsenal in the Premier League title race, according to winger Riyad Mahrez.

The Gunners are sitting pretty at the top of the table, beating West Ham United 3-1 on Boxing Day.

City take on Leeds United on Wednesday, with Mahrez aware that more dropped points are not an option.

"We have to hit the ground running. We are not currently top of the Premier League and that is where we want to be," Mahrez told City's in-house media.

"We will take it game by game but our aim is to try to win another title.

“There are lots of strong teams in England who could still win the league so we are not just focused on Arsenal, although they have been very good so far.

"If we want to win the league, we will have to be ready as soon as the league starts again."