Timber admits Arsenal must address title race anxiety

Arsenal must address the anxiety that has characterised their recent matches if they are to stay the course in the Premier League title race, Jurrien Timber has admitted.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, having played an additional game, ahead of visiting Brighton on Wednesday.

At the same time as Arsenal play at the American Express Stadium, City – who have won their last four Premier League matches – are at home to Nottingham Forest.

Timber’s second-half header was decisive as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday, with Pedro Neto being sent off for the Blues and the game descending into something of a war of attrition.

All three goals in the match came from corners, and only the offside flag denied the 10-man visitors a last-gasp equaliser.

Arsenal conceded a 94th-minute leveller against bottom club Wolves last month, while they have also let leads slip against Brentford (in a 1-1 draw) and Manchester United (2-3) in recent weeks.

After Sunday’s game, Timber admitted: “You could feel it [the anxiety], especially at the end. We stopped playing, which was unnecessary, especially when we were a man up.

“It’s something we need to work on and talk about as well. It has happened a couple of times already. We got through it, but there have been a couple of times where we didn’t.

“It is part of the game, the energy within the players, the crowd, the anxiety. It’s something we need to address and talk about, but we handled it well today.”

Jurrien with the decider pic.twitter.com/2cn2kaBRcS

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 2, 2026

Arsenal, who have finished second in each of the last three seasons, remain the Opta supercomputer’s favourites to lift the trophy, with an 83.2% chance.

But they know any slip-up would open the door for City, who are assigned a 16.6% probability of winning the title. The two teams must face off at the Etihad Stadium later this season and will also do battle in the EFL Cup final this month.

And with Arsenal and City also still alive in the Champions League and the FA Cup, Timber has warned the end of the campaign feels a long way off.

“From the beginning of the season, every performance and every three points count,” Timber added.

“At the same time, I heard it is just nine games to go, but it feels like we are still so far off because we are playing in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

“There are so many games to play, and if we look too far ahead it becomes a bit too much. So for now, we will recover and look at Brighton.”