Arsenal’s title hopes have the momentum back. The Gunners seemed to take a hard hit in the title fight last weekend, but showed character on Tuesday evening. As a result, the Londoners keep hope for a miracle in the apotheosis of the season.
Bravoure back at Arsenal: “We are at the top now, let’s see what City does”
“There are still four games. And we are now at the top,” said manager Mikel Arteta at Sky Sports with bravura. The Spanish coach increased the pressure on Manchester City, which still has two games in hand against Arsenal. He continued, “We will not lose heart. We’ve been fighting a team for ten months. Towards the top. We have to enjoy that and we have to maximize our chances.”
Thanks to a swirling first half, fellow townsman Chelsea was left with his tail between their legs at the Emirates Stadium. He added, “This was our team at its best. We wanted to prove that the fire in our bodies was still burning. I saw that in training, but we showed it now in the game. Mentally this team is very strong and we have the right energy. That after a few difficult weeks, with many emotions. Let’s see what City do, because we are top of the league.”
The great star of the Londoners was captain Martin Ødegaard. The Norwegian captain played the stars from heaven and scored his thirteenth and fourteenth league goal. Arteta was lyrical. Arteta concluded, “He’s brilliant. Fourteen goals, his leadership skills, his game, I am so happy with him. He is exceptionally good. He shows it every day. What he has done this year deserves a lot of credit.”
Anger and disappointment
“Everyone was in so much pain after that defeat against City,” Ødegaard himself told the BBC after his masterclass. “We used the anger and disappointment to open the battle again today. You can lose, but we weren’t ourselves against City. We didn’t play our own game, that was the most painful thing. Today we wanted to show a different side of ourselves. We certainly succeeded, we still believe in the title.”
Analysts believe in miracle
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink also saw another opening for Arsenal. As an analyst for Sky Sports, he spoke hopefully about a possible title fight until the last matchday. Hasselbaink said, “There’s another chance. Manchester City still has a lot of big games to play. Including an FA Cup final and two tough Champions League matches. They will drop points one day, Arsenal must then remain clear.”
“Everything is possible, Arsenal must win everything. Only if they play like that, then I have no doubts about it,” colleague Jamie Carragher added. “They can make it blood-curdling exciting until the last day. We have seen Arsenal again, the real Arsenal. They were dominant and played fantastic.”
