Monday 15 February 2016 16:19, UK
Arsene Wenger revealed a rollercoaster ride of emotions during Sunday's win over Leicester saying he feared Arsenal had blown the title race.
Defeat, and being cut adrift of Claudio Ranieri's side at the top of the table, was a very real possibility at half-time on Sunday at the Emirates after Jamie Vardy's penalty put the visitors in front.
However, a second-half red card for Danny Simpson seemed to turn the game for the Gunners, with Theo Walcott equalising before Danny Welbeck's last-gasp header made it 2-1.
Wenger's side had gone into the match five points behind Leicester and the Arsenal boss admitted he was not sure if they would have been able to keep their title hopes alive had that gap widened.
"A loss today would have been massive," the Frenchman said. "After that you get all the negative vibes, the belief goes down, it would have been much more difficult.
"We would not have given up, but eight points is three games to come back. We would need to win three, they would need to lose three.
"For a while, I thought eight points would be too much. When we came back to five, I thought 'OK, it will not be completely over'."
However, Wenger praised his side's attitude after coming from behind to secure a dramatic victory in front of their own fans.
He added: "I just wanted to make sure that we kept our relentless energy, keep going until the end and keep creating chances to have an opportunity to come back.
"I believe that we put the right level of intensity from the first minute to the last minute in this game. We were mentally strong because being 1-0 down against a team of that calibre and coming back is very difficult.
"We finished the game with four strikers and Mesut Ozil playing as a deep-lying midfielder. We had to take all the risks to win it and, in the end, they didn't have the energy to come out and that helped us create chances."
Victory ensures Arsenal now remain in the thick of the Premier League title race, just two points behind the Foxes and below Tottenham only on goal difference.
"It keeps us in it, with many other teams so let's see," Wenger said. "We came out of a bad spell with four games without a win but now we've won two games on the bounce.
"After that bad spell, still being in with a chance, is a good result. Hopefully, the result today strengthens belief in the team that we have a chance."
One major positive for Wenger was the immediate impact of Welbeck who was making his first substitute appearance since recovering from a long-term knee injury.
"For him it was a fantastic day," said Wenger. "At his age, to be out for 10 months [is difficult]. I had a hesitation until the last second to put him in the squad.
"In the end I trusted the impression I got from his training sessions, so we thought, 'OK, we'll put him in'."