Gunners Gone?

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger celebrated his 1000th game in charge of the Gunners with a 6-0 defeat at Chelsea. Is there any way back for his side in the title race?

Matt Brocklebank: The game in hand over Chelsea could see Arsenal close the gap on their weekend conquerors to just four points but, with Liverpool and Man City also above them, the Gunners are obviously going to struggle to emerge on top in the race for Premier League honours. Saturday's shambolic effort at the Bridge wasn't the first time they've crumbled under pressure in a big game this season and, unlike the years of Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira, Arsene Wenger doesn't seem to have anyone on the pitch who will grab a game by the scruff of the neck when the going starts to get tough. It's a magnificent achievement to have reached the 1000 milestone given the way most clubs are run these days but I wouldn't be surprise to see Wenger move on after collecting the FA Cup later this season.

• Premier League

1	Chelsea	69
2	Liverpool	65
3	Man City	63
4	Arsenal	62
5	Tottenham	56
6	Everton	54
7	Man Utd	51
8	Newcastle	46
9	Southampton	45
10	Stoke City	37
11	A Villa	34
12	Hull City	33
13	Norwich	32
14	West Ham	31
15	Swansea	29
16	West Brom	28
17	C Palace	28
18	Sunderland	25
19	Cardiff	25
20	Fulham	24

• last updated 23/03 19:01

Chris Hammer: Mathematically there's still obviously an outside chance considering they have a game in hand to potentially move within four points of Chelsea and, as we saw last weekend at Villa Park, the Blues are certainly not immune from suffering shock results. However, with third-placed Manchester City looking as though they've re-discovered their goal-scoring spark and second-placed Liverpool maintaining their stunning momentum, I'm going to call time on Arsenal's title bid. It's over. The way they capitulated at Liverpool back in February and on Saturday against Chelsea underlined just how much this current crop of Gunners lack the mental character to go the distance in a title race so, given the physiological damage of this latest setback, I very much doubt they'll be able to win all their remaining games. The primary focus is now ending their long trophy drought in the FA Cup and if they don't get past Wigan and most probably Hull in the final, you'd have to say the 'specialist in failure' tag will be hard for even Wenger's biggest supporters to dispute.
Nick Hext: No. It's impossible to see the Gunners overhauling all three of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City before the season ends. They'll keep hold of their place in the Champions League qualification places with Everton, Tottenham and Manchester United all struggling for consistency. That is a notable achievement to make it 17 consecutive years in the Champions League group stage but you can't help but feel they've let the chance of title glory slip by. Injuries have taken their toll but there was a chance in January to add to the squad and even a short-term option in attack like Miroslav Klose would have been a massive help. FA Cup glory is within their grasp and ending the long, long wait for a trophy would make it a season worth smiling about at the Emirates Stadium. If they fall to Wigan, Hull or Sheffield United though expect the pressure to be turned up on Wenger and a real clamouring for a summer spending spree.
Tom McDermott: No. It's not the first time Arsenal have collapsed at this stage of the season and many of the club's supporters shouldn't be surprised. Fair enough, Wenger spent big on bringing Mesut Ozil to North London last summer but his inability to strengthen other key areas will cost his side again. In time, Ozil will probably prove to be a great signing but a world class finisher and a commanding defender with more pace should surely have been on his list as well. It's not all doom and gloom though. Wenger SHOULD win the FA Cup in May but don't expect a serious assault on the title until other key areas are addressed.