Vermaelen gunning for third

Defender Thomas Vermaelen insists his only focus is on finishing in third position with Arsenal in the Premier League.

Gunners centre-back hails vital win against Manchester City

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is not concerned by what is happening between the Manchester clubs at the top of the table as he is only focused on finishing in third position. The Gunners centre-back was involved in Sunday's 1-0 victory at home to Roberto Mancini's City team, which moved the North London giants back into an automatic UEFA Champions League qualification spot. After last weekend's lacklustre 2-1 defeat to strugglers QPR, Mikel Arteta proved to be the hero for Arsenal with a late 25-yard strike which secured an eighth win from their last nine games. "We know Manchester City and Manchester United are in a fight for the title, but we are also in a massive fight for third place, which is really important," said Vermaelen. "We only look at ourselves and try to win every game. "It was a really important win, especially after the result from last week because we are in a big fight for third place." The Belgian centre-half added: "We had a good momentum before QPR, when we had seven wins in a row. "The game at QPR was a real negative moment so it was important to get the three points again, especially against Manchester City, who are a contender for the title."