Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes defiant title claim despite 'reality check' against Man City

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted the Premier League title race is "not over", but admitted it was now out of their hands after the defeat to Manchester City last week.

Pep Guardiola's side secured a 4-1 victory over the Gunners at the Etihad last Wednesday night, with Kevin De Bruyne (2), John Stones and Erling Haaland all on target for the Blues. City followed that up with a win at Fulham at the weekend - which saw them leapfrog Arsenal in the top-flight table.

The London outfit have failed to win any of their last four matches, while City have won all of their previous eight games. Arteta admitted his side need to improve if they hope to keep their Premier League title hopes alive. However, he also acknowledged it would now be difficult given it is in the Blues' hands.

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Asked about Arsenal's chances of winning the title on Monday, Arteta told reporters: "You have to recognise there is still work to do. We have to be humble, recognise what our weaknesses are and work to be better. But we also have many strengths and there are a lot of things we have done well over the last 10 months.

"Now, [the title race] is not in our hands anymore. What is in our hands is to try to win the games we have left, and the rest is down to City. I have not had to pick up the mood of the players, they keep the fire in the belly for tomorrow."

He added: "What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game with a full tilt at home, with our people, London derby, and put things right. I know what we were trying to do, what the objective was, but when I still look at it, this is not over."

Despite having lost