Monday Mar 24 2008 10:14
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger accepted that his side's Premier League title hopes had taken a major blow with their 2-1 defeat at
Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners hit the front just before the hour mark at Stamford Bridge, but were undone by a late Didier Drogba brace which left Arsenal six points adrift of Manchester United.
Wenger said after the game: "It was a game we should have won, but we paid for some lapses in concentration.
"It is difficult to swallow, because we played quite well and were in control of the game. What was left to Chelsea was to play long balls and we did not deal well enough with them.
"The spirit was right and the mentality was fantastic. Overall the team played very well, but at the moment I feel we have some defensive problems which we need to sort out.
"It is a big setback for us. I believe we have the strength, but at the moment we are six points behind Manchester United.
"When you add the four games we drew and this loss, now we just have to come back and win games before we dream of the title.
"We needed a bit more defensive authority as a unit, because the game was there to be taken."
"We will fight until the end and we are not worried about the future, but are obviously disappointed now."
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