Mikel Arteta urges Arsenal to show character after a late 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United last night.

Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal side to show their mental strength after a dramatic 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United reopened the Premier League title race at the Emirates Stadium.

Victory on Sunday would have moved the Gunners seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table, but instead they let the opportunity slip in a chaotic contest that swung repeatedly. 

Arsenal struck first through a Lisandro Martínez own goal, only for Bryan Mbeumo to bring United level late in the first half.

The visitors took control after the break when Patrick Dorgu unleashed a superb long-range effort to put United ahead, leaving Arsenal chasing the game. Arteta’s side responded late on as Mikel Merino bundled home an equaliser following a mistake from United goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Any momentum Arsenal briefly gained quickly evaporated, however, as Matheus Cunha stunned the home crowd with a brilliant strike from 25 yards just minutes later, sealing a damaging defeat for the league leaders.

The result leaves Arsenal only four points clear of second-placed Manchester City and third-placed Aston Villa, who strengthened their own title aspirations with a 2-0 win at Newcastle earlier in the day.

“The margins are extremely small, and we made them even smaller,” Arteta admitted afterwards. “Now we have to react and see what we are made of. Today we were not at our level, and we paid the price. We gave them a goal which is unusual and painful, and then they had two brilliant moments.”

It was Arsenal’s first defeat in 13 matches in all competitions and their first home loss since May, further fuelling anxiety among supporters after recent draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. While Arteta insists his side still control their destiny, the coming weeks will test their nerve as they look to avoid another painful collapse in a title race that remains very much alive.