Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has affirmed that his players still believe that Premier League title glory is possible following Tuesday's 3-1 win over Chelsea.
The Gunners welcomed their London rivals to the Emirates Stadium having been knocked off their perch by Manchester City thanks to a miserable four-game winless run.
Arsenal's 4-1 defeat to the champions last week meant that their title destiny was no longer in their own hands, but they responded in near-perfect fashion to inflict more misery on Frank Lampard's side.
Arteta's men put the game to bed with a brilliant first-half performance, as Granit Xhaka twice set up Martin Odegaard before Gabriel Jesus prodded home after some comical Chelsea defending.
The visitors pulled one back through Noni Madueke midway through the second half, but Arsenal still held out for a comfortable win, and Arteta insisted that his squad are not giving up the ghost in the title race after leapfrogging Pep Guardiola's men into first place.
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When asked if his players still believed that the title was within reach, Arteta responded in a defiant manner, although he lamented his side's inability to score more early in the second half.
"For sure. We discussed that. We are at the top right now, we have four games to go. We have to prepare for Newcastle now. Let's see what happens, what we can control is to win our matches, and to do that we have to perform as well as possible," arsenal.com quotes Arteta as saying in his post-game press conference.
"I'm really pleased with the first 60 minutes. The way we approached the game, the way we started, our energy. There was a lot of movement, we played forward, scored some great goals and really connected with our supporters and created the atmosphere we wanted.
"After 60 minutes we should have scored four or five, we didn't do that and after conceding the goal there is still a long period to play and we should have managed the game a little better."
Following a difficult few weeks for Rob Holding, Arteta demoted the Englishman to the bench as Jakub Kiwior filled the William Saliba-sized void, and Arteta was pleased with the way that the Pole settled into the match after a few early wobbles.
"He looked ready, he looked fresh, he looked really determined. He's been getting better and better every single day, not only in training but his interaction and his language," Arteta said.
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"He's more settled and he's a player that I really like, that's why I signed him. He has the potential at his age to be great and he had a big task against the players he had to face today, and I think he did it really well."
However, the game ended on a sour note for Kiwior's defensive partner Gabriel Magalhaes, who dropped to the turf a few times before hobbling off late on.
Arteta did not have any positive updates to offer on the Brazilian's condition after the game and admitted that he is "concerned" about his injury ahead of a daunting trip to Newcastle United this weekend.
"He wasn't comfortable. We tried for 10 or 15 minutes but he could not carry on which is strange for Gabi. So we are a bit concerned about that because normally he's not one that wants to leave the pitch," Arteta said on Gabriel.
Arsenal have moved two points clear of Man City at the top, but the Citizens have two games in hand and can return to the summit when they tackle West Ham United on Wednesday.
Ben Knapton
