Arsenal can handle title stress as Man City close in, vows Arteta

[FILES] Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline during the English League Cup semi-final first leg football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 13, 2022. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Arsenal’s bid to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004 is in danger of imploding, but Mikel Arteta remains adamant the leaders can cope with the pressure of the title race.

Arteta’s side blew a two-goal lead for a second successive game as West Ham hit back to snatch a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium on Sunday.

After squandering the same advantage in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners once again paid the price for taking their foot off the gas.

Although Arsenal are four points clear of second-placed Manchester City, it is the champions who have all the momentum heading into the final weeks of a gripping title battle.

With a home game against Arsenal looming on April 26, City knows they will be crowned champions if they win their last eight games.

Ominously for Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s men have already beaten them twice this season, winning 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the league in February, just weeks after knocking the Gunners out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory in Manchester.

For Arsenal to no longer be in control of their own destiny is a bitter pill for Arteta to swallow after the North Londoners’ long spell at the top this term.

Arteta concedes Arsenal’s untimely collapses against West Ham and Liverpool were self-inflicted wounds, with the Spaniard especially frustrated by the way his players took their strong position for granted on Sunday.

But he refuses to accept it was the tension of being chased so relentlessly by City that