Arsenal have seen their Premier League title chances boosted after a tough weekend for those involved in the clash at the top of the table. The Gunners would have feared the worst upon leaving Merseyside on Saturday afternoon as Sean Dyche's first game as Everton boss ended with the Toffees earning a huge win.
James Tarkowski's towering header from a corner gave them the one and only goal in the clash as the north London outfit struggled to break down their opposition. It was just the second league defeat suffered by Arsenal this campaign, but any slip opens up the possibility of change in the table.
Discussing the issues after the game, Mikel Arteta told reporters: "From our side disappointment because we didn’t get the result that we wanted and the performance doesn’t reflect what we’ve been doing especially in two phases – one, when they were really direct and we struggled to control that type of game and get back to the game that we wanted to play, and then with the amount of open situations that we generated in the final third that has to finish with goals and clear cut chances more than we’ve done today."
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The result meant that the side would be looking over their shoulder for the rest of the weekend, eyeing the results of their rivals. Arsenal were reliant on their neighbours Tottenham beating Manchester City to keep the gap at five points with one game in hand by the next set of fixtures.
Luckily for them, that is exactly what happened as Harry Kane's strike was the difference between the two sides and ensured that Pep Guardiola's side suffered a bruising defeat. It's a huge reprieve for the Gunners, but there was more than just one boost to come from that game.
There's also the psychological side of things as Guardiola made a shocking admission after the game, commenting: "Coming to London is like going to, I don’t know, northern Europe. It is 4 hours 20 minutes, 4 hours and a half to get to a hotel. It’s so exhausting to come to London, I’m sorry. We need to come back to Manchester and prepare the game against Aston Villa."
It may have been a random comment thrown out by an annoyed manager, but it may be starting to show cracks in the psychological warfare that is a season-long title chase. It comes as a particular boost to Arsenal as they happen to host Man City in London at the Emirates Stadium next week.
It could be a difference-maker when it comes to the end of the season and if Arteta can manufacture a positive result, those chances only increase further.
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