Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City was decided “in the two boxes”, but insisted the title race remains firmly alive with five games left and a three-point lead still intact.
Mikel Arteta said Arsenal left the Etihad “very upset with the result” after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, but the Arsenal manager made clear he believes the title race is far from over. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta argued that his side had shown they can compete with City and insisted the season has effectively become “a new league” with five matches remaining.
Arteta’s first reaction focused on the result rather than the performance. “Very upset with the result obviously,” he said. “We came here to win the game. I think the message was clear from three days before. We prepared to do that, to take the game to the areas that we believe we could win it. We certainly done that.” He also pointed to Arsenal’s response after conceding early, saying: “Even though we started the game with a goal down and psychologically we have to play with that, we’ve done it. So we proved that we are there.”
The manager was then direct when asked what had separated the two sides. “The reality is in the two boxes today was the difference and that’s what decide the game,” he said. Pressed on whether finishing had been the key factor, Arteta replied: “Yeah, the difference was 100%.” It was a clear summary of Arsenal’s frustration after a game in which they competed well for long periods but could not make enough of their moments in front of goal.
Despite the defeat, Arteta did not sound like a manager who felt the balance of the title race had swung decisively away from his team. “I believe today, I believe on Wednesday, a week ago, because I see them every day and I know the level that we have,” he said when asked whether Arsenal can still win out from here. He then added the line that may shape the next phase of the run-in: “It’s a new league now. They were a game in hand. We have three points of advantage and five games to play. So everything is still to play for.”
That message was consistent with the mood he described inside the dressing room. Arteta said the players were “very disappointed not to get a result from the game”, but added that the immediate response had already turned towards what comes next. “They said okay, we lost an opportunity today, but we have the biggest one now in the next five games so let’s do it.”
Arteta was also asked whether the defeat would leave him needing to lift his players before the final five games. His answer made clear he does not see that as an issue. “No,” he said. “If I have to pick the players up to win the Premier League with five games to go in our hands and be in the semi-final of the Champions League, I think I should be at home. So it’s not the case. It’s not needed. It’s never been needed, even in difficult moments. So we go again, that’s for sure.”
Arteta’s message, then, was not one of denial but of perspective. Arsenal missed a chance at the Etihad and paid for not being clinical enough, but their manager’s view was that the season remains open. The immediate challenge now is to prove that belief over the final five league games.