Monday 1 May 2017 16:06, UK
An "angry and disappointed" Petr Cech admits that Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham has left Arsenal’s Champions League hopes in real doubt.
Second-placed Spurs moved 17 points ahead of their north London rivals in the Premier League table with the win, with goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane ensuring that they will finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1995.
The Gunners remain sixth, five points behind Manchester United and six back on fourth-placed Manchester City ahead of their clash with United at the Emirates next weekend, live on Sky Sports 1HD, but Cech says they needed to beat Tottenham to keep their top four hopes alive.
"I feel angry and disappointed because obviously this is not a game we wanted to lose and this is a very big disappointment for us," Cech told Arsenal's official website.
"It hurts because it was a huge game for both teams. They needed to win to keep their title chances alive. We needed to win to keep our Champions League finishing position [hopes] alive.
"Obviously, we are very disappointed because it's a north London derby, it means a lot to the fans and it meant a lot to the club, to us. We needed three points and in the end we have none."
Tottenham fans have waited 22 years to end a league season above their neighbours, with Sunday's win coming in the final north London derby at White Hart Lane, but Cech insists finishing below Spurs is not chief among the squad's disappointments.
"Our target is to play for titles, so we are disappointed with our season because we aren't playing for a [league] title," Cech said.
"We have five games to play and we are out of the title race. It was not the objective [to finish below Tottenham], so we are disappointed with that.
"But Tottenham finishing above us or doing better is one thing, but I think the most important thing for the club, for the players, for everybody is to reach your own targets, not to worry about what the others are doing."
