Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confessed that he had glimpsed the grim apparition of Premier League title failures past during his side’s nerve-jangling 2-1 victory over leaders Leicester City.
At halftime of Sunday’s table-topping showdown at the Emirates Stadium, Leicester led 1-0 through Jamie Vardy’s penalty and Arsenal were staring down the barrel of an eight-point deficit to the summit.
But after Leicester’s Danny Simpson was sent off, substitutes Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck struck to lift Wenger’s side to within two points of first place and rekindle hopes of a first league crown since 2004.
“A loss today (Sunday) would have been massive,” Wenger told his post-match press conference.
“Even after that you get all the negative vibes, the belief goes down. It would have been much more difficult.
“We would not have given up, but eight points is three games to come back. We would need to win three, they would need to lose three.”
Welbeck’s goal, a 95th-minute header on his return from a 10-month injury lay-off, sets Arsenal up nicely for a run of games that sees them tackle Hull City in the FA Cup and holders Barcelona in the Champions League before returning to league action at Manchester United on February 28.
They must also visit second-place Tottenham Hotspur and fourth-place Manchester City over the season’s closing weeks, but Wenger said the nature of the victory over Leicester would give them great heart.
“It will strengthen our belief that we are in the fight,” said the Frenchman, whose side had won 2-0 at Bournemouth on their previous outing.
“Because we had a bit of a dodgy spell – with Liverpool 3-3, Stoke 0-0, we lost (1-0) against Chelsea, played 0-0 at home against Southampton – so now after that we win two games.
“We’re still mathematically in the fight and that will strengthen our belief of course.”
Wenger revealed that he had waited until the last minute before deciding to put Welbeck on the bench following his return from a long-term knee problem.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate