Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta offered a blunt response to claims that his team's exit from the Europa League allows them to focus on the Premier League title race against Manchester City. The Gunners sit five points clear at the top of the table heading into this weekend's fixture against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal were unable to progress into the last eight of the Europa League on Thursday night despite taking the lead in their second-leg clash against Sporting CP. The north Londoners were pegged back in the second half following a stunning strike from Pedro Goncalves, before being eliminated from the competition on penalties.
The result leaves the Gunners with just the Premier League to focus on after being knocked out of the FA Cup earlier in the 2022/23 campaign. Arsenal's exit from the Europa League means they will now have less fixtures to deal with compared to City after Pep Guardiola's side progressed into the Champions League quarter-finals - but Arteta is finding it hard to see the positives after Thursday night's result.
