Arsenal suffered a major blow to their Premier League title ambitions on Wednesday with a 4-1 defeat at Manchester City. The loss means the Gunners are now only two points ahead of the champions.
Kevin De Bruyne dominated the headlines with another world-class performance against the north Londoners. The Belgian playmaker scored twice and assisted John Stones' header to send Pep Guardiola's men on their way.
The destination of the title is now out of Arsenal's hands with Man City having two games in hand. Despite the loss, Mikel Arteta remained upbeat about his side's chances of making history. "The stats at the start of the season said we’d finish sixth or seventh and we are where we are with five games to go," he said.
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"Those players deserve a lot of credit to go nine and a half months against this team doing what they have done. There’s still five games to go. Five.
"I’ve been in this country almost 22 years and I’ve seen a lot of things and I know how much it shifts from game to game. There are not easy games in this league. Let’s see. We have to lift our players tonight. We played against an exceptional team, we know that, but we are an exceptional team as well. Today we didn’t do the basics and understand what we needed to win the game."
As in seasons gone by, further twists and turns are expected to unfold between now and the end of May. With that in mind, football.london looks at the toughest fixtures Arsenal are still to face in their final five games.
Chelsea (H) - May 2
Previously, facing Chelsea would have been marked as a tough game for any side. However, Arsenal's London rivals are enduring a horrific end to the season - losing five straight games under Frank Lampard.
Any hopes of finishing in the Champions League places have vanished, with the focus solely on the summer rebuild with the next permanent manager.
If the meeting earlier in the season is anything to go by, Arsenal shouldn't worry about their London rivals However, form goes out the window in these games and Chelsea will want to wreck the Gunners' title charge.
Brighton (H) - May 13
The Seagulls have been one of the Premier League's surprise packages this season. Despite losing Graham Potter in September, Roberto De Zerbi has steadied the ship and has improved a number of players with Kaoru Mitoma and Alexis Mac Allister in particular excelling.
Brighton have defeated the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal this season - and in some style. They remain within a shout to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history, though their recent defeat to Nottingham Forest hasn't helped.
Arsenal seemingly eased past the Seagulls with little trouble in the New Year's Eve meeting - a 4-2 win. However, after taking Man Utd to penalties in the FA Cup semi-final and recently beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Brighton will prove a difficult task.
Newcastle (A) - May 6
Every Arsenal supporter remembers the last time Arteta's men took on Newcastle on Tyneside. A Ben White own goal and Bruno Guimaraes strike all-but-ended the Gunners' hopes of achieving a top four finish.
This season, both clubs have improved drastically. Newcastle find themselves in the race for a top four spot and recently came close to winning their first major trophy in 68 years. Eddie Howe's side are on course to qualify for the Champions League, with them five points above Aston Villa in fifth.
They do have two games in hand over Unai Emery's men and are boasting with confidence after thrashing Spurs 6-1 last weekend.
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