Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal side is "alive" when it comes to being in the title race, despite trailing league leaders Manchester City by five points following their drawing 2-2 draw with fellow contenders Liverpool.
TV Info - Broadcasters
Arsenal took the lead twice at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, only to be pegged back both times. It is the second time this season that the Gunners have been held by the same scoreline against their main rivals, having shared the points at Manchester City in Matchweek 5.
"I’m very proud of the team especially with the situation that we are going through at the moment, and probably cannot imagine," Arteta said in his pre-match press conference.
"But overall I think, especially first half, it was a total domination, we were really, really good, really sharp, really efficient, really determined and the result should’ve been bigger.
"Without conceding anything, basically we gave two goals away which is the disappointing part. And the fact we couldn’t see the game off, especially looking at ourselves, the two things that we didn’t do particular well and obviously about other aspects.
"Well you don’t want to be in that position, you want to be five points ahead but this is where we are, and again the team it’s alive, the team wants it. I feel it every single day, the players that cannot play they are upset that they are not playing, the ones that get injured, the ones that are there in a good moment, things will turn up and we’ll be in a better place but we are certainly there."
Slot pleased with fightback
Having seen his side come from behind twice, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was pleased with the way his side responded but refused to acknowledge their status as title contenders, despite being second and a point behind Man City.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
9 | +11 | 23 |
| 2 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
9 | +12 | 22 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
9 | +7 | 18 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
9 | +5 | 18 |
"Going two times behind against a very strong and good Arsenal team and then to get a point is pleasing to see, especially because we had to play an away game in Europe this week," Slot said after the match.
"We had one day less to recover and to prepare and then to go two times behind with the fans being so loud and us coming back so strongly [in the] second half – because I think we deserved to be 2-1 down or one goal down at half-time – then is very pleasing to see that we had the energy and that we were so strong to fight ourselves back in the game [in the] second half, also because the ones that came in did really good but also that we were physically really strong today.
"I know you guys like to talk about title contenders and where we are exactly in the league – that's also part of your job.
"The only thing I look at is, 'Can you get a result in a difficult away game as this one?' And the way we did it pleased me a lot and we're only nine or 10 games into the season.
"But to see that we can compete with such a strong Arsenal team in their stadium, that is very pleasing to see. But what it exactly will lead towards in the end of the season, I cannot tell you yet."
