Mikel Arteta insists the Premier League title race has not become a straight-up battle between Arsenal and Liverpool, despite the Gunners closing the gap on the Reds.
After league leaders Liverpool failed to draw against high-flying Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, Arsenal took full advantage 24 hours later with a 2-1 win over rivals Tottenham in the north London derby.
That saw the Gunners, who host Aston Villa on Saturday, climb to second place and within four points of the Reds, although Arne Slot's side still have a game in hand.
Chelsea were Liverpool's closest challengers at the summit, but a recent slump has left them 10 points behind and just two ahead of Manchester City, who crashed out after a run of one win in nine league games.
Yet Arteta does not believe it will be a straight shootout between the top two for the title, with Forest close behind them in third and Newcastle United also in contention.
“I don't think so,” said the Spaniard when asked whether it had become a two-horse race. “If you look at every game in the Premier League, the margins and the way teams win football games, it can go either way.
“In two or three weeks we can talk about something else. We're still in January, so it's going to be a long, long haul.
“It's always important if we can win and benefit from other teams losing points – firstly because we won, and secondly because otherwise it's not what they wanted.
“It's been a good week, but we need a lot more at the moment because of where we are now [in the table].
“If you want to compete with the top teams for the top trophies for eleven months, as we have done for the last two and a half years, you have to enjoy these moments, circumstances or challenges and the pressure that brings is part of it, because it takes away the beauty of it.”
OLD in 2004…
Thierry Henry's quick thinking led us to victory against Aston Villapic.twitter.com/TZUZRsn1rl
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 18, 2025
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