The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by the Premier League leaders after David Silva struck in the second half of a pulsating encounter at the Etihad Stadium. Despite a recent charge up the table with seven wins from eight, the result left the Londoners 12 points behind City after 16 games. Wenger said: "Unfortunately it's a game we couldn't afford to lose because it puts us too much [behind City]. "If we had won the game it would have put us six points behind and with our full-backs coming back, and (Jack) Wilshere and (Abou) Diaby, we would have a better squad in the second half of the season. "It will be difficult to close the gap on City, but we will try. "This is a game we couldn't afford to lose and that's why it's difficult to take. "We will continue to fight and there are a lot of positives. "The team has made a lot of progress since August and the team can be proud of it."
