Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that his side cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to finish in the top four this season.

A run of five defeats in eight Premier League games saw the Gunners slip down as low as seventh in the table, but they returned to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Monday night.

Seven points still separate them from the Champions League places with only seven games of their season remaining, though, and Wenger believes that his side will need to take maximum points from now until the end of the campaign if they are to bridge that gap.

"For us, the clarity is there - we have to win every game to have a chance to get in the top four, starting tonight," he told reporters.

"I think it will make the team a bit more serene. You could see that on some occasions, we were a bit over-cautious tonight.

"Hopefully that will give us a bit more confidence. Mathematically it is still possible, even if it is difficult, but we have to give it a go."

The Gunners must still face the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United before the end of the season.