ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger claims his side's mental strength will keep them in the race for the Premier League title.

The Frenchman bore witness to his side's fighting spirit on Saturday as the team overturned a two-goal deficit with ten men, after Abou Diaby was sent off, to record an unlikely win in the dying seconds of the game.

"It was a mental test because it looked like everything was going against us," said Wenger. "It demanded a lot from us. They were not giving up. You have to go for it and we did it in a marvellous way.

"We wanted absolutely to win to stay in the race."

The win bought Arsenal to within three points of Manchester United at the top of the table, but the Red Devils' 4-0 win over Aston Villa, coupled with Chelsea's defeat of Middlebrough on Sunday, ensured the Gunners remain six points adrift of United, and one behind the Blues in second.

"This team is very mentally strong. We were hit hard by our defeat at Chelsea (last weekend), that was hard to take but we will fight until the last minute of this championship and these players will do it."