CHELSEA forced Manchester City to put its Premier League title party on hold Saturday, winning 2-1 to boost its own chances of a top-four finish in a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final.

The win prevented City from clinching a third English title in four seasons and dethroning Liverpool.

City’s time will surely come, with three games still to get over the line in the Premier League. The celebrations could even come the next day if Manchester United, 13 points adrift of its neighbor, loses at Aston Villa.

Losing to Chelsea has become annoyingly familiar for City manager Pep Guardiola after seeing the quadruple bid ended by an FA Cup semifinal loss three weeks ago.

Now it’s only three weeks until they meet again on club soccer’s biggest stage — the Champions League final.

“We can learn from this and move on,” Guardiola said. “We have another three chances to be champions.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool kept its slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive with a 2-0 win at home to Southampton. (SD-Agencies)