Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the Gunners are still contenders for the Premier League title despite failing to win in their last four league matches.

After the champions’ 2-1 victory at Fulham on Sunday, Manchester City took Arteta’s team’s place atop the table.

After winning eight straight league games in pursuit of their fifth league championship in six years, City now leads the Gunners by a point with a game remaining.

Arsenal, in contrast, has struggled lately, winning just three of their last four games.

After six seasons away from the premier club competition in Europe, they are at least guaranteed a return to Champions League play, but Arteta insisted the Gunners’ squad was not content with that accomplishment alone.

Arteta now wants Arsenal, who were defeated 4-1 by City the previous week, to mount a comeback against London rivals Chelsea on Tuesday at the Emirates.

“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.”

Photo by EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN