City’s 4-1 victory over Mikel Arteta’s side has narrowed Arsenal’s lead at the top of the league to just two points, with City having two games in hand.
Had Arsenal clinched a victory against City, they would have given themselves some much-needed breathing space in the title race.
However, the Gunners have squandered several opportunities to extend their lead, having let slip a pair of two-goal leads in their previous four games, gone two-nil down against Southampton, and suffered a defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Read also: Arsenal’s Defeat to Manchester City Highlights Home vs. Away Struggle.
Chelsea has been observing from 11th place on the table, but in the past, they have managed to pull off impressive victories against City in the title race.
Eden Hazard, for instance, led his club to victory at the Etihad Stadium in December 2016, rounding off a 3-1 win for Chelsea against the Cityzens. The Blues were just one point behind City at the time, and Hazard’s performance eventually helped them secure a Premier League title.
However, this season’s title race is far from over, and Arteta remains hopeful that his side can mount a late challenge. In response to claims that City has a 92% chance of winning the title, Arteta said, “The stats at the start of the season said we’d finish sixth or seventh, and we are where we are with five games to go.”
He added, “Those players deserve a lot of credit to go nine and a half months against this team doing what they have done. There are not easy games in this league. Let’s see.”
The Arsenal boss acknowledged that City is an exceptional team but also stressed that his team is exceptional.
He said, “We have to lift our players tonight. We played against an exceptional team, we know that, but we are an exceptional team as well. Today we didn’t do the basics and understand what we needed to win the game.”
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