Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal players must show a positive reaction following their damaging 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the Emirates yesterday.
Following Liverpool’s shock 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, Arsenal were handed the opportunity to take control of the title race and move one point clear at the top, but Unai Emery, on his return to the Emirates, had other ideas.
The result may not be quite as devastating as their home defeat to Brighton that all but ended their title hopes last May, but Arsenal have once again handed the initiative to Manchester City after a late collapse against Villa, with goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins inflicting the damage.
Arsenal’s title ambitions may be in jeopardy, but Arteta said after the game that their Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Bayern Munich is the perfect chance to show a reaction.
He said: “We can’t control [Manchester City]. What we can control is that when we have the run we had when you win, win, win, win, it’s easy.
“The moment is now. After this blow, it’s how we react. Now it’s a big test for us.
“We have the best opportunity to react against Bayern Munich. The team has to show it. If you want to win, you have to overcome these situations.
“With the games we had, this was going to happen. It is now about how we react. This is in our control.
“In any other league in the world, if you won the number of games in a row that we did, you would be six or eight points clear. That is not the case here. That is the challenge.”
