Mikel Arteta has insisted that Arsenal players are "more convinced than ever" that they can win the Premier League title.
Despite the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, the Spanish coach believes the team remains focused on the main objective.
Arsenal saw their lead at the top of the table narrowed to just three points after Erling Haaland secured victory for Pep Guardiola's side.
City have one game in hand and can move into first place if they win against Burnley in midweek.
"I believed today, I believed before because I see them every day and I know the level we have," Arteta said.
"If today they need to be more convinced, I think now they are even more so. They were talking about it in the locker room," he added.
He added: "It's a new championship now. They have one game less, we have a three-point advantage and five games to play. Everything is still open. We won't stop and we will continue."
Arsenal showed more fight than in recent matches, but were punished by a lack of concreteness.
Rayan Cherki gave the home side the lead, while Kai Havertz equalised after a mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However, Havertz missed two clear headed chances that could have changed the course of the title race.
"We came here to win," Arteta said. "We prepared the game to win and took the game to the areas where we thought we could make the difference. We showed that we are at that level, but the reality is that the difference today was made in the two penalty areas."
With four losses in the last six matches in all competitions, questions have been raised about the psychological state of the team.
However, Arteta dismissed these concerns: "If I have to motivate the players at this stage, then it's better not to be here. It's not necessary - it never has been, even in difficult moments."/Express newspaper/
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