Szczesny: We're still fighting

Szczesny: We're still fighting

Published Apr. 21, 2011 3:15 p.m. ET

Arsenal slipped back into third place behind Chelsea on goal difference after they were unable to close out a pulsating north-London derby against Spurs despite leading 3-1 just before half-time. Although Manchester United are now six points clear, they still have to travel to Emirates Stadium on May 1 and then host Chelsea after their Champions League semi-final against Schalke. Arsene Wenger maintains his men will fight until the bitter end, but opportunities are now running out. Any more draws following six out of the last nine, in an unbeaten 16-game run, and you suspect the game will be up for another campaign which promised so much but again failed to deliver. However, goalkeeper Szczesny - who conceded a second-half penalty when he tripped Aaron Lennon which allowed Spurs to level at 3-3 - maintains all is not lost as the Gunners should take great courage from their efforts in last night's high-octane affair. "You are never really in control when you play against Tottenham because it is a war, not just a football game. It is never won until it is won," Szczesny told Arsenal TV Online. "In the second half, they put us under a lot of pressure and deserved a draw. "We are disappointed because we needed to win the game, but we have to admit it was a fair result." The Poland stopper, 22, added: "Of course we are fighting, when you play at White Hart Lane for Arsenal, you give everything, 110%. "We came with a belief we were going to win, it did not happen for us, but we can be proud of our attitude. "We played some fantastic attacking football, especially in the first half and were probably unlucky to go into half-time with only a one-goal lead." By the time Arsenal run out at Bolton on Sunday afternoon, the deficit on United could be even greater should they beat Everton in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Old Trafford. While Szczesny accepts there is little the Gunners can do but hope United will slip up again, the Polish goalkeeper knows if Arsenal fail to secure maximum points from here on in, then it will not really matter. "We know that every time we draw, we drop two points, especially now when we have to catch up Manchester United," he said. "Thankfully they are dropping points as well, so it is not finished yet. "It is going to be very difficult, but we are going to fight until the end. "It is not in our hands any more and has not been for some time, we now have to rely on other teams to take some points off Manchester united "But they are not on form and we have to hope they will drop points and focus now on getting the result on Sunday." Wenger last night again defended the "remarkable attitude" of his young side in the face of more criticism that they lacked the mental toughness to close out from a winning position. The Gunners boss also refuses to give up on what he now views as a wide open, three-way, five-match sprint for the championship. "Chelsea are back in and they play Manchester United," he said. "We have games we know we can win, at some stage it will be down to us. We will fight." Captain Cesc Fabregas produced an all-action display and the Spain international hopes his new-found fitness levels will continue until the end of the season following a niggling hamstring problem. Fabregas said on Twitter: "Personally I didn't feel as good as yesterday since the day I got injured versus Stoke. "Hopefully it can continue till the end of the season. "Credit to Spurs for not giving up and give us a real test. Now rest and ready for a big game Sunday at Bolton."

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