Arsene Wenger on title race: 'We are still in it'

Goals from Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were enough to keep pace with table-toppers Leicester City in a match Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger characterized as a "must win game."

The 2-0 victory over Bournemouth means the Gunners are level with hated rivals Tottenham on 48 points, five adrift of the East Midlands darlings, with Arsenal hosting Claudio Ranieri's Foxes at the Emirates next weekend.

"It was a must win game for us today. Leicester have made a big impression in the last week after their results. They suddenly become the favourite in the Premier League and it makes our game a big game," Wenger told the BBC.

"We had a strong start, with good finishing and we controlled the game. We beat a good side, it was three difficult points but three very important points for us because we had not won for a while."

Wenger continued, "We lost a bit of our urgency in the second half. We lost the killer instinct to get the third goal and on top of that Bournemouth are physically a strong team."

With a spell of four winless matches and three goalless performances on the bounce preceding the match at Dean Court, Arsenal's title credentials were questioned after the North Londoners sat atop the Premier League table leading into the new year.

"We have been in the title race and we are still in it. We cannot control people's opinion and we need to show that we believe in it. We have to do it," Wenger offered during the post match presser.