Arsenal put in a solid performance at Goodison Park on Saturday to get the better of Everton, and manager Arsene Wenger maintained after the 2-0 win that the Gunners were still in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners were in a bad state heading into the match at Goodison Park. Two successive losses to Watford and Barcelona meant that Arsenal were out of the running for the FA Cup as well as the UEFA Champions League. They needed a win to boost their hopes in the Premier League, and goals from Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi ensured they took home all three points.
After the match, manager Arsene Wenger expressed his pleasure at the team’s performance and praised 19-year-old Iwobi, who scored his first goal for Arsenal in the game. Wenger added that the team needed to believe in themselves and the Premier League title could still be within reach.
“I am not masochistic enough to consider us out. Mathematically we have a chance and a game in hand, let’s not forget, at home,” said Wenger, according to the Guardian.
“We are not the flavour of the week at the moment but if we don’t believe no one will do it for us. Even if the mind is sceptical we have to give our best in every single game. We have to be humble and fight in every game like we did today. Then we never know. Of course we need some good results from the others. We cannot help that.”
Gunners need to look back as they look forward
The win took Arsenal four points clear of fourth-placed Manchester City, but the Citizens can reduce that margin to a point if they win the Manchester derby. West Ham United are also eyeing a top four finish, and will look to push Arsenal in the coming weeks. A win for Manchester United in the derby could also mean that the Red Devils jump straight back into the race for the top four.
Arsenal trail arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur by three points and league leaders Leicester City by a staggering 11, although the Foxes have played one more game then the rest of the pack. All of this means that it’s all or nothing for Arsenal and they need to gain maximum points in their remaining matches to have any hopes of winning the title.
