‘There can still be twists and turns’

Arsene Wenger says “there can still be twists and turns” in this season’s Premier League title race.

Arsenal go into Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace 13 points behind Leicester City, but with a game in hand over the league leaders.

Leicester host West Ham United this weekend and, after Arsenal’s 3-3 draw at Upton Park last Saturday, Wenger believes the Gunners have an opportunity to close the gap on Claudio Ranieri’s side.

“West Ham have beaten many big teams at home and I feel we were not happy with the result [last weekend] because we conceded three goals when we were 2-0 up,” the manager said. “On the other hand, we have shown resilience to come back to 3-3 when we were in a desperate position.

“For everybody it is tight, and we have to look behind us because everybody is chasing. There can still be twists and turns until the end and everyone is fighting to put teams in front of us under pressure.

“We need a strong run at home now and I think that is what we want to do. It is perceived that the championship is over but I don’t think that completely even if Leicester are in a strong position. I think we have to continue to fight until the last minute of the season.

“Crystal Palace should now be completely safe but they still might need one or two points. I think they have nearly got out of their relegation problems.

“They have a lot of potential offensively with individuals like Bolasie, Zaha, and Adebayor. They have a big offensive force. We need to rectify the fact we conceded goals at West Ham and come back strong defensively.”