Mikel Arteta said Sunday's League Cup final against Manchester City would be a defining moment for Arsenal as they seek to shed their tag of "nearly men".

Pep Guardiola believes Sunday's League Cup final against Arsenal is the acid test of his side's "level" as Manchester City aim to get their season back on track.

Arsenal eased into the Champions League quarterfinals as Eberechi Eze's stunning strike inspired a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16 second leg on Tuesday.

Manchester City lost further ground on Premier League Arsenal on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham United, which left them nine points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

Arsenal moved a step closer to the Premier League title as Max Dowman became the competition' youngest ever goalscorer in a dramatic 2-0 win against Everton, while Chelsea's top four bid was dented a 1-0 defeat against Newcastle on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal "fully trust and love" Bukayo Saka despite an underwhelming season for the England winger.

The Premier League title race could take another decisive turn on Saturday as leaders Arsenal and closest challengers Manchester City face crucial fixtures.

Former Leverkusen player Havertz converted the late spot kick to cancel out Robert Andrich's 46th-minute header for the hosts, marking the first time this season that quadruple-chasing Arsenal had fallen behind in Europe's elite competition.

Pep Guardiola knows Manchester City are not a "complete team" but he is convinced they can still overhaul Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal head to Mansfield and Chelsea face Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round, with the Premier League clubs aiming to avoid embarrassing giant-killings, while Liverpool bid to avenge a painful defeat at Wolves.

Mikel Arteta has hit back at critics of Arsenal's dependence on set-pieces, saying he is disappointed the Premier League leaders do not score even more goals from dead-ball situations.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said teams must adapt to deal with set pieces after Liverpool manager Arne Slot spoke about how they were sucking some of the "joy" out of the Premier League.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said Monday that the growing reliance on set pieces in the Premier League has sucked some of the joy out of football but accepts it is the new reality.

Arsenal won their set-piece battle with 10-man Chelsea as Jurrien Timber sealed the Premier League leaders' crucial 2-1 victory over their London rivals on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta expects Viktor Gyokeres to have a major impact on Arsenal's quadruple bid after the revitalised striker's recent goal spree.

Viktor Gyokeres believes that Arsenal's derby rout of Tottenham was the "perfect response" to the club's critics after the Gunners had stumbled in the race for the Premier League title.

Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze tormented Tottenham again as his double revived the Premier League leaders' title bid in a 4-1 rout of their north London rivals on Sunday.

As the Premier League season is reaching its climax, the storyline feels all too familiar for Arsenal -- points slipping away while closest rivals Manchester City gain ground.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta rejected the term 'bottlers' ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit to Tottenham Hotspur, as the title race heats up after their lead was cut short by successive Premier League draws at Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"Incredibly disappointed. We need to accept it. We need to be critical of ourselves because it was not good enough," Arteta said.