Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal are still title contenders despite falling off the top of the Premier League table at the weekend.
Manchester City surpassed Arteta’s men at the top of the table after a 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.
City now leads the Gunners by a point with a game in hand, having won eight consecutive league games as they seek their fifth crown in six years.
Arsenal, on the other hand, has struggled in recent weeks, winning only three of their past four games.
They are at least certain of a return to Europe’s top club competition following a six-season absence, but Arteta emphasised that the Gunners’ squad was not pleased with that alone.
Arteta now wants Arsenal, beaten 4-1 by City last week, to stage a revival when they face London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates on Tuesday.
“We have achieved what it was difficult to achieve and we can still achieve the Premier league because there are five games to go and a lot of things are going to happen still,” he said.
“Now the title race is not in our hands anymore. What is in our hands is to try to win the games we have left and the rest is down to City.
“What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game with a full tilt at home, with our people, London derby, and put things right.”
The Spaniard added: “We still have the nicest part of the season to play with five games to go. But when I still look at it, this is not over.
“I am incredibly proud and thankful to everyone who has contributed to bringing Champions League football back to this club with five or six games to go, it is something that hasn’t happened in over a decade in this football club.
“So congratulations but also thank you for still being upset and not accepting that Champions League is not enough and we want more because this squad is going to demand to get what we want.”