Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that his side's five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table means that it is impossible to ignore their credentials as title contenders.
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British media pundits have predicted that Wenger's men will fail to go the distance this season and the Frenchman himself is usually circumspect about his team's targets.
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Sunday's 1-1 draw with Everton at the Emirates Stadium left the north London club five points clear of nearest rivals Liverpool and Chelsea, but they face a challenging run of fixtures.
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After visiting Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, they go to fourth-place Manchester City in the league next weekend and then host Chelsea on December 23.
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It is a sequence of matches that threatens to expose any limitations that Arsenal may have, but Wenger says that his players should draw encouragement from their performances to date.
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Asked if his side should now be considered serious title contenders, he replied: "It depends what you call serious.
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"As long as we are five points ahead, you cannot rule us out, even with the best desire.
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"It shows you that it will be a tough Premier League and the consistency in the end will be rewarded. The consistency is of course down to us, to keep this attitude until the end of the season."
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Arsenal were on course to move seven points clear when Mesut Ozil put them ahead in the 80th minute, only for Everton substitute Gerard Deulofeu to give his side a share of the spoils four minutes later.
So far, Arsenal has done really well in all competition. But can they continue this good form?
I still a trophyless season for ArsenalFC