Arsenal still in title race says Anelka

Former Gunner refuses to rule them out (GETTY IMAGES)

Nicolas Anelka refuses to rule Arsenal out of the Barclays Premier League title race ahead of Sunday's showdown at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners trail leaders Chelsea by six points with last weekend's 3-1 rout by Manchester United appearing to bring their pursuit of the crown to a demoralising halt.

Refusing to rule themselves out of contention, Arsenal's players have united in claiming victory over their London rivals will thrust them back into the reckoning.

And Anelka agrees that the landscape will shift if Chelsea drop more points, as happened in the 1-1 midweek draw with Hull.

"Anything is possible in football, things can change very quickly," he told the club's official website, www.chelseafc.com.

"If we lose one game and draw one game and Arsenal win two games, then we are back to how it was before.

"We have to just stay positive and try to win every game, which is obviously what we are hoping to do."

Chelsea's impressive form during the African Nations Cup has helped keep them in pole position.

Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien all travelled to Angola but the Blues coped well in their absence, negotiating a tricky period unbeaten.

"It was difficult without the African players but we did well," said Anelka. "We have a strong squad with a lot of big players and we proved that in January.

"We managed to win games and stay in all competitions and now that they're back we should only get stronger again."

Last week's 3-0 victory over Birmingham meant Anelka has played more matches for Chelsea than any other club.

It is a notable record given the nomadic France striker has also enjoyed spells at Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid among many others.

Anelka feels content at Stamford Bridge and is revelling in his strike partnership with Drogba.

"I said when I first arrived at Chelsea that I wanted to stay here," he said. "Now I have reached more games than I did with my career at other clubs it's good because I'm really happy.

"I have been at big clubs before but when I signed for Chelsea I came back to a big club. I had been looking for that and when I arrived at Chelsea I knew I would want to stay for a long time.

Anelka added: "I love playing alongside Didier. He is a target man and he plays with a lot of quality up front.

"It works well because Didier likes to play in front of goal and I love to play around him. I feel most comfortable in this position these days and it's working well."