Arteta: Arsenal still fighting for EPL title

LONDON, England (AP):

Arsenal are not satisfied with just qualifying for the Champions League and are still fighting for the English Premier League (EPL) title, manager Mikel Arteta insisted yesterday.

Arsenal (75 points) have already secured a return to the Champions League after a six-year absence but let control of the Premier League title race slip out of their hands with a painful 4-1 beating at Manchester City (76 points) last week.

City are now big favourites to defend their title, but Arteta said the loss hasn’t diminished his players’ ambitions.

“That is the mentality that we need and that is what I love more the last few days,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said ahead of today’s home game against Chelsea. “We are still not satisfied, we are still upset and we want more.”

City top the table again after winning 2-1 at Fulham on Sunday to move one point clear of Arsenal, who are on a four-game winless run. Guardiola’s team also has played one game fewer.

Arsenal have led the standings for 247 nights this season and can add one more today with a win against fast-falling Chelsea, who have just two points from their last six league games.

“This is what I want. Win tomorrow and be at the top,” Arteta said. “Great, we are in the Champions League and everybody is still unsatisfied with the situation. This is what we need if we want to move forward as a club and as a team. ... What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on into the next game.”

Man City will seek a ninth straight league win tomorrow at home against West Ham.

Yesterday Leicester and Everton remained in serious relegation danger after their thrilling 2-2 draw.

Alex Iwobi’s 54th-minute volley secured a point for Everton, who stayed in next-to-last place with four matches left to play as the team bids to extend its 69-year stay in the top division.

Leicester, the league champions only seven years ago, moved out of the bottom three but only on goal difference ahead of Leeds and Nottingham Forest, with all three teams a point clear of Everton. Forest dropped into the relegation zone.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted a penalty he won himself after getting barged in the back by Timothy Castagne to put Everton ahead in the 15th minute.

Caglar Soyuncu equalised in the 22nd, hooking in a finish as he slipped after fellow centre back Wout Faes headed the ball back across the face of goal.

Leicester took the lead for the first time in the 33rd when James Maddison slipped in Jamie Vardy, who ran behind Everton’s defence, rounded goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and converted.