Tying Man City does little to unknot Arsenal’s anxiety

LONDON— After Arsenal twice conceded against Manchester City, Arsene Wenger was apprehensive.

“At 1-0 down and 2-1 down, just before halftime, our fans could have turned against us,” Wenger said. “I think they were absolutely sensational and helped the team today get through those difficult moments.”

Not that there was too much to celebrate after Sunday’s 2-2 draw in the Premier League. A fifth loss in six league games would have darkened the mood further around the Emir- ates Stadium, but a point still leaves Arsenal treading water far from the Champions League places.

Man City remains seven points ahead in fourth place, with 10 games to go for Arsenal, including one in hand over Pep Guardiola’s side. It leaves Wenger’s enviable record of securing 20 successive seasons of Champions League qualification under threat.

Within that atmosphere, it’s hard for Arsenal or Wenger to contemplate any announcement yet that the embattled manager is extending his 21-year reign. But the smattering of protests that did erupt on Sunday was restricted to stunts outside the Emirates Stadium. And Wenger hopes the resilience demonstrated against City is a positive sign for the closing weeks of the season as the manager’s contract winds down.

Theo Walcott wiped out Leroy Sane’s City fifth-minute opener. Sergio Aguero immediately fired City back in front. Shkodran Mustafi restored parity eight minutes into the second half.

“We started with quite a high level of anxiety and we are punished straight away,” Wenger said. “It was a mental test and overall you could see that the team was touched on the confidence front, the fluency in our game suffered.” Then the Gunners recovered. “We have shown some mental strength,” Wenger said, “and that will help us to come back to our natural fluency.”

It was City’s third consecutive league draw.

“After the first half, we score a goal, forgot to play,” Guardiola said in a blunt assessment. “We missed a little bit, forgot a little bit to attack. That’s why in the first half Arsenal was bet- ter. Of course, we had the chance to make the counterattacks, but we missed easy balls and when this happens, you cannot control the ball.”

City’s next game is also in London on Wednesday at league-leading Chelsea, who leads second-placed Tottenham by seven points. Swansea 0, Middlesbrough 0: A point did little to help either Swansea or Middlesbrough in the scrap to stay in the Premier League.

Swansea is only a point and a place above the relegation zone, while Middlesbrough is five points behind Swansea with a game in hand.