Kyle Walker says City must maintain the high standards we’ve already set this season as the 2022/23 campaign reaches fever pitch.

Pep Guardiola’s side are currently embroiled in an exhilarating Premier League title race with Arsenal, while also in the last-four of the Champions League and the FA Cup final.

Thanks to the 2-1 win over Fulham in our latest league assignment, we climbed to the top of the table for the first time in 10 weeks – one point above the Gunners with a precious game in hand.

However, the England defender believes City must focus on the tasks at hand with six Premier League games, a two-legged European semi-final with Real Madrid and an FA Cup showpiece event with arch-rivals Manchester United to play before the curtain falls on the term.

And Walker has also called on the experienced members of the squad, including himself, to lead City to major trophies by the season’s end.

“I’ve been very fortunate to play in some fantastic Manchester City teams,” Walker declared.

“The form has come at a really good time, but we need to make sure we keep this up. We’ve set the bar and the standards now.

“I think it’s just the calibre of players and the manager that we have. Everyone in that dressing room is winners - we’ve proved it season in, season out.

“Now this is crunch time. This is the time that big players step up for big occasions and we go and get the victories that we need to get to our ultimate goal.”

Next up for City in the crucial final furlong of the season is a key meeting with West Ham at home on Wednesday, 3 May – only three days after our success over Marco Silva’s side.

The quick turnover in fixtures reflects the action-packed schedule City will now face as we continue to fight on three fronts.

But Walker isn’t deterred by the rigours of our busy calendar and insists Guardiola’s team’s focus will be on each individual game.

He added: “We think about each game at a time.

“There’s a lot of football that needs to be played. It is possible and we’re still in the running but all I want to concentrate on now is the West Ham game.

“We’re in good form now and we need to continue. It’s important we rest, recover, eat well, sleep well and move onto West Ham.”

Erling Haaland’s spellbinding season continued in the victory over the Cottagers when his third-minute penalty raised his Club tally for the season to 50.

The 22-year-old’s goalscoring exploits during his maiden campaign at the Etihad Stadium has seen him smash a swathe of records - the latest being to draw level for the most goals in a 38 game Premier League season (34).

And Walker says it’s been a joy playing with the clinical striker across 2022/23.

“I could see [his quality] when we played against him in the Champions League but did I feel he could hit the ground running and get the goals he has done - of course not,” the 32-year-old explained.

“To come to a new league and a new team it’s always going to be difficult. That shows the level of the player, the maturity of the young boy at 22. Long may it continue.

“It’s extraordinary what he’s done. I’ve had the privilege to play with him and Harry Kane now who for me are up there with the best out and out number nines.

“The goals they both score is tremendous.

“Erling has taken it to a new level now - he’s set the bar, he’s only young and he needs to keep doing this season in, season out to hopefully keep on breaking more records and keeping the form he is in.”