West Ham draw highlights bad Man City habit even Erling Haaland might not solve

Manchester City earned what could prove to be a crucial point with a come-from-behind 2-2 draw at West Ham on Sunday, but they will still rue the return of a habit that they have been unable to shake all season.

City moved four points clear of Premier League title rivals Liverpool with a draw at the London Stadium, fighting back from a two-goal half-time deficit to keep their title hopes in their own hands. Win against Aston Villa on the final and Pep Guardiola's side will be crowned champions for the fourth time in five seasons.

However, it could have been better than that. With the score tied, Riyad Mahrez saw his 86th-minute penalty saved by Lukasz Fabianski, and with that the chance to deal Liverpool a near-knockout blow passed City by.

READ MORE:Premier League offers Pep Guardiola a third chance at Man City glory

A failure to finish things off once and for all has haunted City this season, with this being just the latest in a list of 'left them alive' moments. Those were the words Guardiola chose to describe his team's performance after the 2-2 draw with Liverpool last month.

City were superb in the first half of that thrilling encounter at the Etihad Stadium, and could have easily scored four or five goals. But they didn't, missing a chance to deal a serious blow to Liverpool's title challenge.

Perhaps the most devastating example came in both legs of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. At home City ran the Spanish side ragged, spurning plenty of chances to put the tie beyond doubt in the opening 45 minutes.

But Madrid were left with a chance, something they exploited to the full by scoring three goals. In the return leg, Jack Grealish was unlucky to not score a brace as City edged towards the