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Flamini - We can't afford to lose focus

Mathieu Flamini says Arsenal are in a "pretty good" position but he warns there is a long way to go in the title race.

A 1-1 draw with Everton at Emirates Stadium extended the Gunners' lead to five points ahead of two huge Premier League fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea.

Flamini has been one of the success stories of the season and made a difference when he came off the bench on Sunday. But he is not getting carried away with title talk.

"When you're winning 1-0 and in the last 10 minutes you concede a goal and they come back to 1-1, then you push and push, you have some opportunities and you don't win the game, of course it's frustrating. Football is like that - the beauty of the game"

"Yes it's a pretty good position - five points clear, it's positive," he told Arsenal Player. "But it's only the beginning of the championship.

"A lot of games will come and it's important to win games and not concede goals. It's important to work hard because we know we are going to play a lot of games and it's important to stay focused.

"It was a difficult game, we knew it before the game. But I think a draw is not a bad result, especially after the game when we've seen a good Everton team create some [chances]. We tried to play our football - I think at the end 1-1 is a good result.

"When you're winning 1-0 and in the last 10 minutes you concede a goal and they come back to 1-1, then you push and push, you have some opportunities and you don't win the game, of course it's frustrating. Football is like that - the beauty of the game.

"But I would say [Everton are] one of the greatest teams we've played since the beginning of the season. [Everton are] a very solid team and really good quality also. So it was a tough game, there a bit of frustration but a draw is OK."