Arsène Wenger suggested he was more concerned with securing a top-four finish than winning the Premier League title after Arsenal suffered another setback in the 2-2 home draw with Swansea City.
Arsenal were unhinged by a 90th-minute own goal by Mathieu Flamini and they might even have lost but for the referee Lee Probert's decision to blow for full-time as the Swansea midfielder Jonathan de Guzmán had the scent of a one-on-one chance.
After Saturday's 6-0 loss at Chelsea, Wenger admitted the draw "hurts us a lot" and it left Arsenal, in fourth spot, not only six points off the lead held by Chelsea, and possibly more if Manchester City were to win their games in hand, but just six clear of fifth-place Everton. Roberto Martínez's side have a game in hand and they face Arsenal at Goodison Park on Sunday week.
Arsenal play City at home on Saturday with Everton going to Fulham on Sunday.
"The title is not our biggest worry at the moment," Wenger said. "We just have to try to be realistic and we have to come back in the next game. We have to look behind us. Of course we also have to look in front of us but as well behind us. Everton won [at Newcastle United] so we have, of course, to focus. It will be open until the end. We can still have surprises. Manchester City had a good result [at United] ... they look a bit unstoppable and they are the favourites because they still have two games in hand.
"Them and Chelsea are the favourites for the title. We don't have too much room to come back into it. We have to get some players back. It's difficult to fight with half the team out."
Wenger has lost Theo Walcott for the season and he pointed out that Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Jack Wilshere and Mesut Özil are not "close to coming back".
"Koscielny is out for a while," he continued, "and Özil is at least two or three weeks. Ramsey is maybe the closest, he is maybe two weeks. He had a setback. He's had some scar tissue and then you have to slow down. The tendon is in a sensitive place."
The Swansea head coach, Garry Monk, left London with mixed feelings after Probert's decision to whistle for full-time in the fifth minute of injury-time. A minimum of four additional minutes had been signalled but Monk felt that as Flamini's own goal had come seconds before the 90th minute, Probert ought to have added an extra minute.
"We scored and they have to restart the clock, so it would be five minutes minimum," Monk said.
"Then, we are clean through on goal and 99% a goalscoring opportunity is going to come and they blow up 30 seconds short. It was a poor decision. I don't understand it. It is very strange. I have never had it like that in any game I have ever played in."