How quickly football can change.
Less than two weeks ago Arsenal sat with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table but now, within a blink of the eye, they are trailing Manchester City on goal difference, having picked up just one point from a possible nine.
Mikel Arteta’s early pacesetters had an opportunity to make the ultimate statement on Wednesday night when they welcomed Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions to Emirates Stadium
Victory would have seen them move six points clear with a game in hand. But instead the 3-1 defeat saw them knocked off top spot for the first time since August and raised more doubts over their ability to stay the course during the title race.
The usual online slurs are already doing the rounds, with many saying Arsenal have ‘bottled it’ and that the season is now suddenly over. Both are suggestions that Arteta vehemently denies.
“Psychologically, there is a marathon still,” Arsenal’s manager said after the City defeat. “There is very far to go.
“I said it at the start, I said it three months ago and I say it today, it’s about tomorrow. The most important thing is how we are tomorrow and focus on that.”