Martin Odegaard identifies three big factors stopping Arsenal’s Premier League title pursuit

Arsenal’s title hopes took a further hit on Wednesday night as they were comfortably beaten 4-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne shone brightly, with the pair contributing to three of the goals. De Bruyne opened the scoring with a driving effort past Aaron Ramsdale, before John Stones made it 2-0 with a header.

De Bruyne struck again in the second half, while Rob Holding managed a late consolation goal for the visitors. The outcome leaves City just two points adrift of the Gunners who they have two games in hand over.

After the match, Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard spoke of the disappointment felt in the dressing room and identified several areas where the team failed to assert themselves.

“I think everyone is down now,” Odegaard said. “We wanted to come here and get something. We just have to stick together and keep pushing. In football anything is possible. We have to do our part and then we’ll see.”

“It’s disappointing. I don’t have an answer to why today was this. We should’ve won more duels, compete better and when we have the ball do more as well.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also spoke of his disappointment with the result, but praised his players for their efforts over the course of the season.

“The stats said at the start of the season that Arsenal were going to finish sixth or seventh,” Arteta said. “We are where we are with five games to go. Those players deserve a lot of credit, to be where we are after nine and a half months.”

Arteta also highlighted the unpredictable nature of the Premier League, and urged his players to stay positive and focused on the remaining fixtures.

“There are still five games to play. I’ve been in this country for nearly 22 years and I’ve seen a lot of things; I know how much it shifts from game to game. There are no two equal games in this league. First of all, we have to lift our players, because they suffered tonight. They played against an exceptional team - they know that. But we’re an exceptional team as well and today we weren’t at the races at the level that was required to win the game.”

Manchester City can go top of the Premier League if they beat Fulham on Sunday, while Arsenal will be looking to pick up their first win in five games when they face Chelsea next Tuesday.