Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal’s latest blow is ‘painful’ after his side slipped even further behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race

Mikel Arteta revealed he is feeling the pain of Arsenal‘s disappearing title challenge after they slipped 13 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The Gunners could only draw 0-0 at Nottingham Forest and though Arteta insisted they had improved greatly from the home defeat by West Ham last weekend, once more his side failed to step up under pressure.

In a game of few chances, Mikel Merino and Kieran Tierney went close for Arsenal while Forest’s top scorer Chris Wood forced an important save from David Raya.

Though Arteta did not concede the title, his reference to Arsenal’s Champions League campaign felt telling.

‘We have a beautiful competition in front of us and we need to do it against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday,’ said Arteta. ‘We are very disappointed not to win this game but it’s about what we can do now.

‘We showed energy and willingness to make things happen but lacked quality in the final pass and the delivery to win it. We dropped two points again and it’s very painful.’

The Gunners dropped more points on Wednesday as they drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest

The Gunners are now 13 points behind leaders Liverpool, who won 2-0 against Newcastle

After a recent wobble of three defeats in four games, Forest rediscovered the defensive solidity that has been the bedrock of their performances this term. They remain third in the table, a point clear of Manchester City, who visit the City Ground on March 8.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo added: ‘We know our strengths and we were compact, solid and aggressive. In the last moments of the game we were getting dangerous momentum, which was also a positive.’