Premier League: Arsenal five points behind Chelsea

Published: 12 November, 2010
by STEVE BARNETT

ARSENE Wenger is convinced that Arsenal are involved in one of the “most open title races for a long, long time”.

The Gunners are just five points behind leaders Chelsea following their 2-0 win at Wolves on Wednesday. 

The north Londoners can consider themselves lucky still to be in the thick of the championship chase having already suffered three defeats this season, including home games against newly promoted West Brom and Newcastle. 

Wenger, however, is adamant that plenty more points will be dropped before a team finally gets to lift the Premier League crown. 

“The demands on the teams in Europe are very high and the level of the less prestigious teams in the league has gone up so I believe everybody will drop points,” said the Arsenal boss.  

“Chelsea have lost a couple. You must give them the credit that it was at difficult places at Manchester City and Liverpool so that’s never easy but at least that keeps the league tight. All the teams in the Premier League can remain disciplined for 90 minutes therefore you have a little bit less difference made in the second half than years before.”

On the pitch the players are doing little to discredit Wenger’s prediction. Having lost 1-0 to Newcastle on Sunday, they bounced back to beat Wolves 2-0, thanks to a brace from Marouane Chamakh. The Gunners got off to the perfect start at Molineux when Chamakh headed home Alex Song’s cross after just 39 seconds. The striker scored again in the third minute of injury-time when he raced on to Cesc Fabregas’s lofted pass and smashed the ball past Marcus Hahnemann.