Mikel Arteta insists the Premier League title race has not become a straight battle between Arsenal and Liverpool, despite the Gunners closing the gap on the Reds.

After leaders Liverpool could only draw against high-flying Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, Arsenal took full advantage 24 hours later with a 2-1 victory over rivals Tottenham in the North London derby.

That saw the Gunners, who host Aston Villa on Saturday, climb to second place and move within four points of the Reds, though Arne Slot's side do still have a game in hand.

Chelsea had been Liverpool's closest challengers at the summit, but a recent slump has seen them slip 10 points adrift and just two ahead of Manchester City, who fell away after a run of one win in nine league games.

Nevertheless, Arteta does not believe it will be a straight shootout between the current top two for the title, with Forest just behind them in third place and Newcastle United also in contention.

"I don't think so," the Spaniard said when asked if it had become a two-horse race. "When you look at every game in the Premier League and the margins and how teams are winning football matches, it can go either way.

"In two or three weeks, we could be talking about something different. We are still in January, so it is going to be a long, long run.

"It's always important when we are able to win and capitalise on other teams dropping points - firstly, because we won, and secondly, because for the rest, it's not what they wanted.

"It has been a good week, but we need many more of those at the moment, because of where we are [in the table].

"If you want to be fighting for the top trophies with the top teams for 11 months, like we have been doing for the last two-and-a-half years, you have to enjoy these moments, circumstances or challenges and the pressure that comes with it, because it's the beauty of it."

OTD in 2004...

Thierry Henry's quick thinking led us to victory against Aston Villapic.twitter.com/TZUZRsn1rl
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 18, 2025