Mikel Arteta gives Arsenal title hope following 4-1 loss to Man City

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal’s title hopes are not over despite the 4-1 loss to Manchester City on Wednesday.

The Gunners were soundly beaten by Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad with Kevin De Bruyne netting two in addition to goals from John Stones and Erling Haaland. It leaves City in the driving seat in the title race, with the champions just two points behind with two games in hand.

However, Arteta hinted that anything is possible when he said he has ‘seen a lot’ in over two decades in the UK, before adding Arsenal still have five games left this season to turn things around. “The stats at the start of the season said Arsenal were going to finish sixth or seventh and we are where we are with five games to go,” claimed the former midfielder.

“Those players deserve a lot of credit to be nine and a half months with this team being where we are. They are still five games to play and I have been almost 22 years in this country and I have seen a lot of things and there are not two equal games in this league.

“First we have to lift our players who suffered tonight, playing against an exceptional team tonight. But we are an exceptional team as well but today we were not at the races.”

However, the Spaniard did add that it may take 90 points to win the league this season, a tally Arsenal can only achieve if they win all of their remaining five matches. “I don’t know what is going to be required,” he said.

“We first have to lift the players up tonight because they suffer and it was difficult to swallow. Do everything we have done so well in the next match to earn the right to win it. That’s where we have to start.”

Asked for his view on the game, Arteta said: “The analysis is clear, the better team won the game. They were probably at their best especially in the first half, and we were nowhere near that level.

“When that happens, the gap becomes too big and the first 30 minutes, the basics you have to do against an exceptional team, in terms of competing, winning duels, understanding what the game requires, we didn’t do it and we got punished. We could have been punished even more.”