With five matches left to play in the Premier League season, we sit three points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
So it couldn’t be much closer as we enter the final straight, with Mikel Arteta saying our performance at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday is cause for optimism, despite the result.
We fell to a 2-1 defeat, but created plenty of chances in a strong second-half showing.
“It’s a really disappointing result, and the manner that it happened,” Arteta said afterwards. “We had a really strong performance, got so much into the game, we came back from a goal down. Emotionally, we handled the game so well, and had the game where we wanted it. We had the best chances of the game, didn’t put them away, and that was the difference.”
Asked whether the missed chances made the result harder to take, or gave him reason to be optimistic, he said: “A bit of both, because we created big situations against a team that concedes very little, and we’ve gone into it the right way. But at the end, to win or not win is about moments, and when they had moments, they put them in the back of the net and that was the difference.”
We resume our Premier League campaign next week at home to Newcastle United, with everything still to play for.
Arteta added: “We lost an opportunity today to win, I think we used the opportunity to show what we are made of, and how we’re going to compete and the level of the team. Now we have another five to go, so it’s a new Premier League now, they have a game in hand and we have three points in hand – so, game on.”
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