Mikel Arteta 'proud' of Arsenal season and vows to keep fighting for Premier League title

Gunners take on Chelsea at home on Tuesday with Champions League football already secured for first time since 2017

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has led his side to Champions League qualification for the first time in six years. PA

Mikel Arteta says he is “incredibly proud and thankful” of the fact that Arsenal have already secured Champions League football next season.

And the Gunners manager also insists they will not give up on the Premier League title race despite Manchester City having taken over as firm favourites to retain their crown.

Arsenal have been top of the table for much of the season but have seen their lead evaporate in recent weeks after drawing three games in a row, then falling to 4-1 battering against City at the Etihad Stadium last week.

And on Saturday, City leapfrogged Arteta's side by a single point after winning 2-1 at Fulham on Sunday and have a game in hand on the North London club, who relinquished the top spot for the time since mid-February.

But, despite this disappointment, the Spanish manager maintains Arsenal have made huge strides forward having sealed their place at European football's top table for the first time since the 2016-2017.

“We have achieved what it was difficult to achieve and we can still achieve the Premier league because there are five games to go and a lot of things are going to happen still,” Arteta said on the eve of their game at home to Chelsea on Tuesday.

“Now the title race is not in our hands any more. What is in our hands is to try to win the games we have left and the rest is down to City.

“What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game with a full tilt at home, with our people, London derby, and put things right.

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“I know what we were trying to do, what the objective was what we’ve been doing and we still have the nicest part of the season to play with five games to go. But when I still look at it, this is not over.

“I am incredibly proud and thankful to everyone who has contributed to bringing Champions League football back to this club with five or six games to go, it is something that hasn’t happened in over a decade.

“So congratulations but also thank you for still being upset and not accepting that Champions League is enough and we want more because this squad is going to demand to get what we want.”

Arsenal have a tricky run of games coming up starting with a Chelsea side looking to win their first match since Frank Lampard returned as caretaker manager early last month.

They then travel to third-placed Newcastle United on Sunday where they take on a Magpies side that has won their previous three games, scoring 13 goals along the way and conceding three.

After that, it's a home game against Brighton, who are currently eighth in the table but aiming to secure European football themselves next season.

It is looking increasingly likely that Arteta will not be able to call on the services of William Saliba again this season with the France centre-half having “not improved at all” from his back injury that has already seen him miss six games.