Arteta pulls off another 'I believe' as Arsenal's loss to City tightens title race

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta stuck to his "I believe" message despite Arsenal's loss to Manchester City tightening the title race. With just five games left, the pressure is now firmly on both sides.

In Short

• City's 2-1 win narrows title race to three points
• Arteta insists Arsenal remains in the title race despite loss
• Haaland's goal proves decisive in City's victory over Arsenal

Mikel Arteta reached for his familiar “I believe” line once again after Arsenal’s loss to Manchester City tightened the Premier League title race. City’s 2-1 win has cut the gap to just three points, with a game in hand swinging the momentum firmly in their favour.

The defeat for the Gunners at the Etihad has turned what looked like a comfortable run-in into a proper title scrap. With only five games left, every moment now carries weight, and the margin for error has almost vanished.

Despite the setback, Arteta stuck to his script. Speaking after the match, he doubled down on belief and insisted Arsenal are still very much in the race.

“I believe today, I believed a week ago because I see them every day and I know the level that we have. If they needed more conviction, I think they have it now. They were talking about it in the dressing room. It’s a new league now. They have a game in hand, we have a three-point advantage and five games to play. Everything is still to play for,” Arteta said.

“Obviously, they were very disappointed not to get a result in the manner that it happened. That was the feeling immediately. But they were also saying we lost an opportunity today, and now we have the biggest one in the next five games. So let’s go for it,” he added.

THE PREMIER LEAGUE RACE TIGHTENS

The match itself saw City take control at key moments, with Erling Haaland scoring the decisive goal in the 65th minute. Arsenal had responded earlier through Kai Havertz after Rayan Cherki’s opener, but ultimately could not find a way back.

Arsenal had their moments. Havertz had chances at 1-1 and again late on, the kind that can define a title race. However, the missed opportunities proved costly as City held on for a crucial victory.

Now comes the twist. City have still have a game in hand against Burnley. Win that, and they could go top on goal difference or goals scored.

For Arsenal, this is where the title race stops being about belief and starts being about execution. Five games, three points, and zero room for slip-ups. The “I believe” line still holds, but from here on, it needs results to match it.

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