Arsene Wenger says Arsenal showed a "special fighting spirit" in rallying for a 2-2 draw at Manchester City but urged his team to keep their focus on locking up a third-place finish next weekend.
Arsenal trailed twice at the Etihad on Sunday, but came back through goals by Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez to stay three points ahead of Man City in third place.
That means a draw at home against already-relegated Aston Villa in the last round will be enough to secure an automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League -- although Arsenal can still catch archrival Tottenham with a win if Spurs lose at Newcastle.
"We have to finish the job now at home against Villa. We want to finish the season with a win at home," Wenger said. "It's in our hands now but we have seen again today that we just want to finish the job with the result. That shows you that we have to focus and keep the focus. It is important to maintain that."
Arsenal were pegged back from the start by Man City in manager Manuel Pellegrini's last home game, and trailed after Sergio Aguero's goal in the eighth minute. However, Giroud levelled from a corner just two minutes later. Sanchez equalised for the second time in the 68th minute after exchanging passes with Giroud.
"We expected an intense game from the start, but they came really out with a very strong pressure. The good thing is that we absorbed it and every time we were down we came back, so we have shown good character today," Wenger said.
"Man City today had decided today to give a big present to Pellegrini before he leaves the club. I think they were on fire, and we needed special fighting spirit to get away with a point."
Giroud had not scored in the Premier League since Jan. 13 but Wenger has stuck with the Frenchman up front and he started again at the Etihad. This time he repaid Wenger's confidence in full.
"He had a great game today, the best for a while now I must say. He was sharp, focused. We have seen today the real Olivier Giroud," Wenger said. "It's true that in recent games he had not exactly that sharpness. But they go through ups and downs and you never know when a striker will score or not score."