Nasri beats the title drum for Gunners

SAMIR NASRI believes Arsenal’s rapidly-maturing side are back in the title race after their impressive victory over Manchester United.

Arsene Wenger’s team have had to cope with a barrage of criticism over the last few weeks and deal with claims that defeats against Stoke, Fulham and Hull had ended their championship challenge.

But Frenchman Nasri’s two goals at the Emirates on Saturday have changed the entire perspective of the title race and he insists there was always an inner belief in the Arsenal side that the results would come.

“We were a bit behind Liverpool and Chelsea and this was a massive game for us,” he said. “It was very important and we could not have dreamed of getting a better result than the one we got.

“Maybe we don’t have the experience of Liverpool, United or Chelsea, but we showed how mature we have become after last season. We showed we have got the quality technically that can help us to win big games.

“We are back in the title race now for sure, but we always thought we were involved, even before this game. We know our quality, our strengths and know what we are capable of. We can definitely win the title this season.”

Arsenal’s attacking verve has never been in doubt but there was a defensive steel and mental determination on show against United that impressed even their harshest critics.

Nasri added: “Mentally we proved a point by winning this game against Manchester United. We know the title can be won by the games against the top four. We have shown we can do it and the most important thing is to keep going.

“This win is a key game for us. With all the players coming back from injury we are only going to get better.”

Fellow midfielder Cesc Fabregas paid tribute to Wenger’s attacking principles after the match, not least because the French manager had faced stinging criticism for the way his side crashed against Stoke last week and for his subsequent accusations of unfair play against Tony Pulis’ side.

“We definitely did it for the manager because he has believed in us,” he said. “Apart from Gallas and Silvestre, the rest of the players have never had the chance to play football so we owe him a lot of things and have to show that on the pitch.

“As for the title, I don’t know. It is very difficult. You ask Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and they will always say the same things.

“We have only played 12 games and this is nothing. We are just at the start. We know there will be a lot of teams at the top of the table at the end of the season so we want to be with them.We showed against United that we have the quality to do it.”