Arsene Wenger admitted he is unsure whether Arsenal can still win the Premier League title after Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham.
Arsenal were 1-0 up but then had to fight back for a draw with 10 men after Francis Coquelin was sent off in the second half and Spurs went ahead with two quick-fire goals.
The result means leaders Leicester could go eight points clear of the Gunners with a win against Watford later.
Asked about Arsenal’s title chances, Wenger said: “I don’t know because I don’t know what to say anymore about that. Everybody drops points so let’s see what happens over the weekend.
“I think we have to take encouragement from our performance today and we have to produce that until the end of the season then we might have a chance.”
Arsenal beat Leicester 2-1 three weeks ago, a result that had appeared to have swung the momentum in the Gunners’ favour, but they have not won in five games across all competitions since.
Wenger acknowledged that this season may have represented the team’s best chance to end a 12-year Premier League title drought.
“Maybe, yes. Last year we had no chance but now I don’t know,” he said. “We are in a position where we not only depend on our own results but the results of teams like Leicester.”
Wenger’s team had been relentlessly criticised this week after losses to Manchester United and Swansea dealt a massive blow to their title hopes, but gained a measure of redemption by coming back with 10 men at White Hart Lane.
“[For] a team with low confidence and no belief, we played pretty well today,” centre-back Per Mertesacker said. “We don’t need that [criticism]. It’s nonsense. We just concentrate on ourselves and that’s the only way to compete and win games.”
Alexis Sanchez ended a scoring drought by netting the equaliser — his first league goal since October — and Wenger said he hoped the comeback could boost the team’s confidence with crucial games ahead.
Arsenal travel to Hull for an FA Cup replay on Tuesday. Depending on the result of that game, they would either face West Bromwich Albion in the league or Watford in the cup next weekend, and will then go to the Camp Nou trying to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the Champions League.
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