Thierry Henry has told Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta that he will have failed if they do not finish in the top four this season.
The Gunners currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United but with three games in hand on the Red Devils while boasting a superior goal difference, meaning Arsenal's fate is still in their own hands.
And the Gunners' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were boosted further over the weekend when rivals Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers all failed to make ground while Arteta and co did not play.
Speaking before United extended the gap with a much-needed 2-0 win against Brighton on Tuesday, club legend Henry assessed Arsenal's chances of finishing inside the top four, having last done so in 2016.
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"The best thing about Arsenal is that they didn't play," the Frenchman declared on CBS Sports. "West Ham didn't take advantage of it. Tottenham has never taken advantage of it.
"But Arsenal had to go and win at Wolves. That was a massive win, so there are still a lot of games to go. For me, if they don't do it, as I said at the start of the season, then it will be a failure."
After the Gunners beat Wolves 1-0 away from home last week, Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher agreed that Arteta's men are in the driving seat, admitting that he feels the contest "will go down to the wire."
"Arsenal, what a win that was for them away to Wolves. The games in hand, no European football," Carragher added to Sky Sports.
"You think about how long Manchester United will be in the Champions League, that could play a part. It feels like it will go to the wire.
"I think it will go all the way to the end. Arsenal, do they have enough forwards? Spurs look to be in trouble. Right now I'd think you'd take them out of it. Wolves look [like] a really good team.
"With Manchester United, scoring goals is the hardest thing. They are really struggling for any sort of continuity. They seem to be lacking confidence, belief and a system that works for them."
Although things are in Arsenal's favour, Arteta refused to get carried away ahead of their clash with Brentford on Saturday.
"You don't know how many points we're going to need to get to the objectives but, as well, we need to look at ourselves and focus on what we're doing and go game by game because we can't look too far ahead," the Gunners boss said after the victory at Wolves.
"They are three big points, especially coming here with the way that they've been playing. I think they were pretty close to us as well, and to come here and in the way that we've done it, I think it shows and I think it's a good summary of who we are."
