Arsenal's hopes of finishing in the Premier League are effectively over.
A 1-1 draw with Brighton at the Emirates Stadium yesterday (Sunday) leaves the Gunners three points behind Tottenham with one game to play and means that Unai Emery's men need an eight goal swing to make it into the top four ahead of north London rivals Spurs on the final day.
There were emotional scenes at the Emirates Stadium as Aaron Ramsey, Petr Cech and Danny Welbeck said farewell to the Gunners' supporters, with all heading for pastures new this summer.
What Petr Cech said about Aaron Ramsey, his time at Arsenal & his fond farewell
There was plenty of reaction to Arsenal's draw, and below, we look at the fallout from the latest setback for the Gunners, and what comes next for Emery's side.
A big opportunity missed for Arsenal?
The Gunners are now struggling to finish in the top four, following their draw with Brighton at the Emirates Stadium.
A win at Burnley on the final day could yet seal a place in the top four, but Arsenal would also need help from Everton, who face Tottenham, with the Gunners also needing an eight-goal swing in their favour.
As such, the pundits are pretty sure that it is now done and dusted, with Jermaine Jenas adding that while he feels Chelsea and Spurs have "stumbled over the line", it will be seen as an opportunity missed for the Gunners.
"From Chelsea and Tottenham’s point of view, you’d have expected them to do far better than they have," said Jenas, speaking on BBC programme Match of the Day 2.
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"[Manchester] United are in transition, even still with the uplift of Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], they’ll be absolutely devastated given what the teams above them are done, but Arsenal I still stand by the fact that it’s amazing that at this stage of the season with the squad that they’ve got they still had a chance of doing it. But given what happened above them, it will feel like a missed opportunity.”
And former Gunners striker Ian Wright agreed with his fellow pundit, adding that the faces of the Arsenal players at the end of the game said it all as they knew they had missed a great opportunity in recent weeks.
“Yeah they did. I think when you consider what Arsenal are going through up to this point with a new manager, a new system and what he’s trying to do, for Arsenal to get into third or fourth place because of the form of others, it was a fantastic opportunity for them and one that has been missed," he said.
“They didn’t take full advantage of it and when you consider the games, three losses and a draw, it’s a run of fixtures where people are saying Arsenal should be winning.”
What Arsenal's draw against Brighton means for Chelsea and Spurs in the battle for the top four
What Emery said about the draw
After the game, Arsenal head coach Unai Emery was asked if he had any regrets as Brighton fought back for a point.
But he said that a lack of consistency in recent weeks had been what had cost his side in their push for a top four finish.
"Maybe we can speak about different situations in the season but we are going to take the focus for Thursday against Valencia," he said.
"The Premier League is our first target and we didn't take the position like we wanted. But I think we tried above all for the victory against Brighton.
"We have been very strong at home with our supporters but the last two matches give us the circumstance not the way to win these two matches against Crystal Palace and Brighton. The key is not being consistent in these last two matches. I think we deserved more from the result but it didn't give us more points for the table."
Unai Emery press conference: Every word on Brighton draw, Champions League hopes & Welbeck
Valencia's message for the Gunners
With Arsenal's hopes of finishing in the top four fading after their draw with Brighton, attention now turns to their Europa League semi-final second leg with Valencia on Thursday night.
But while that may now represent their best chance of reaching the Champions League next season, with the winners of the competition taking their place in Europe's premier club competition next season, there was a warning for the Gunners last night.
That was because their opponents, Valencia, ran riot in La Liga, scoring six goals against bottom side Huesca to warm up for the second leg in style.
Valencia won the game 6-2 to give them a huge confidence boost ahead of Thursday, with the Spanish side aiming to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg, which Arsenal won 3-1.
Here's what the Arsenal fans were saying after the game.
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