Jose Mourinho's stark Arsenal title prediction has resurfaced following the defeat against Aston Villa.

Arsenal, who were leading the pack with aspirations of securing their first Premier League title in two decades, were dealt a huge blow to their title hopes over the weekend. Their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on Sunday evening resulted in them dropping to second place, now trailing the reigning champions Manchester City by two points after City's emphatic 5-1 victory over Luton on Saturday.

Manchester City, having surged ahead without losing in 27 matches across all competitions, are now seen as strong favourites to secure their sixth league title in seven years. They have six more fixtures to navigate, facing Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham.

Mourinho's earlier assessment of the title race won't have caught many off-guard, given City's relentless form. On The Obi One podcast back in January, when quizzed about his predictions for the title, he stated: "Man City 51 per cent and Liverpool 49 per cent." Asked about Arsenal he simply replied: "Nah!"

Liverpool, like Arsenal, also experienced a blow to their title hopes on Sunday, succumbing to a 1-0 loss at Anfield to Crystal Palace. Jurgen Klopp's team now sit in third place, level with Arsenal on goal difference but two points behind City.

Arteta issued a rallying cry after the match at Emirates Stadium. Asked if there was a danger that Arsenal's season could fizzle out after the defeat, he said: "If one result is going to do that then we are not strong enough. That's very simple.

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"We had one of the best performances that we've had all season in the first half against a really good team. It should have been three or four or more. It didn't happen. In the second half the momentum shifted. We could not control and generate what we did in the first half. We conceded two very poor goals and we lost the game.

"Congratulate the opponent and stand up. Now the moment is to stand up and be counted. When you win and win and win for four months it's very simple to do it. The moment to do it is now."

Asked if there were enough leaders in the squad to turn things around, he added: "We don't have any other solution. If you want to win championships, if you want to be there in the Champions League, when you have these moments you have to stand up. If not that means that you don't have a quality that is very necessary. Now it's a big test for us."

Arsenal's focus now shifts to the Champions League, where they face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday. The Gunners have a huge task ahead in Germany after settling for a 2-2 draw in the first leg.