Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has admitted that his side's hopes of finishing in the top four were effectively ended by their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Spurs claimed bragging rights in the final North London derby at White Hart Lane courtesy of goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane, with the result also ensuring that Tottenham will finish above the Gunners for the first time since 1995.
The defeat leaves Arsenal sixth in the Premier League table, six points adrift of the top four, and Cech acknowledged that they are unlikely to breach that gap during their final five games of the season.
"I feel angry and disappointed because obviously this is not a game we wanted to lose and this is a very big disappointment for us. It hurts because it was a huge game for both teams. They needed to win to keep their title chances alive. We needed to win to keep our Champions League finishing position [hopes] alive," he told the club's official website.
"Obviously we are very disappointed because it's a North London derby, it means a lot to the fans and it meant a lot to the club, to us. We needed three points and in the end we have none. Our target is to play for titles, so we are disappointed with our season because we aren't playing for a [league] title.
"We have five games to play and we are out of the title race. It was not the objective [to finish below Tottenham], so we are disappointed with that. But Tottenham finishing above us or doing better is one thing, but I think the most important thing for the club, for the players, for everybody is to reach your own targets, not to worry about what the others are doing."
Arsenal are next in action at home to Manchester United on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
