The result keeps City in third-place, but only two points ahead of Chelsea, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
“The effort was there. We tried everything,” Akanji told City's website.
“We tried to score a goal. We also had some chances that maybe we should have scored. We kept on trying and it just didn’t want to go in today. It wasn’t easy. If we played maybe one or two better passes, or had a better finish at the end, then we might have scored. But it was one of those days, it didn’t want to go in.
“You can’t go all in on the first 15 minutes of the game. You have to manage the game and then they get tired. It was easier in the second half than the first. We tried from the first minute and we had chances, not so many 100% chances, but still chances to score.
“They didn’t want to go in. They did a lot of good blocks and saves from the goalkeeper as well. Today we gave everything.
“They gave everything today too, maybe it’s one of their last games in the Premier League and wanted to show up in front of their fans. In the end we still had to find a way to score a goal and win the game.”
We missed a huge step, but...
Akanji insists City remain well placed for a top five finish and Champions League qualification.
He added, “With a win today we could have made a huge step and maybe would have been in already because a few teams around us have to play each other.
“The good thing is it is still in our own hands. We play our next Premier League game at home against Bournemouth. If we win that, it might look different.
“First, we have to focus on the FA Cup final.”