Arshavin defiant: Arsenal not about to give up on title battle

Arsenal ace Andrey Arshavin insists their defeat to Chelsea has not ended their title hopes.

A crushing 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday left the Gunners 11 points behind the Blues, albeit with a game in hand.

But Arshavin insists: "We haven't stopped fighting for the championship. I think that if we manage to win the next couple of games, then everything will fall into place. After all, Chelsea can stumble, too. But we have to win ourselves."

Didier Drogba was the difference between the two sides, scoring a sublime double split by a Thomas Vermaelen own goal, but Arshavin believes the scoreline did not reflect the balance of the game.

"I think that we were playing our game but Chelsea scored," he said. "The initiative was on our side but we were unable to take our chances.

"As for Chelsea, they, on the contrary, managed to score three times. They organized the game this way: they hardly tried to play on the counter-attack, they just tried to use their chances in the attack.

"Unfortunately, they managed to score twice at the end of the first half, but it didn't break us down. We continued to play our football, tried to create some chances in their half of the pitch."

Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea

Chelsea went five points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League after a win over Arsenal on Sunday.


A Didier Drogba double strike and an own goal from Thomas Vermaelen handed the Blues their fifth successive league win and ripped up the Gunners' 100 per cent home record.

Arsenal dominated the first half and had an Andrey Arshavin goal disallowed but they could not break down a determined Chelsea defence, and remain one place behind local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in fourth.

"Arsenal cruised into the knockout stages of the Champions League"

Arsenal cruised into the knockout stages of the Champions League with victory over Standard Liege after goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson.

Needing a point against the Belgians to win Group H with a match to spare, Nasri opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium while team-mate Andrey Arshavin was off the pitch getting treatment to his cut head.


Denilson, returning after two months out with a back problem and making his 100th appearance for the club, smashed in a curling effort that deceived goalkeeper Sinan Bolat and ensured Arsene Wenger reached the last 16 of the competition for the 10th season in a row.

The visitors had Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez dismissed for clashing with Cesc Fabregas at the death.