You're finished - Ferguson claims Arsenal won't recover from their European exit

The Manchester United manager was at Anfield for the epic clash with Liverpool on Tuesday and left early thinking Arsene Wenger's side had done enough to reach the semi-finals.

Steven Gerrard's late penalty then shattered Arsenal's hope of European silverware and Ferguson expects the manner of their 5-3 aggregate exit to have a major effect on confidence.

After their miserable recent run, Arsenal start Sunday's clash with United at Old Trafford six points adrift of the Premier League leaders.

Ferguson said today: "It was a fantastic game [at Anfield] and the emotions of the game seesawed so much, it had everything.

"I left when it went to 2-2 because I thought Arsenal were through but I got down the stairs and Liverpool had a penalty. It's hard to recover from these things but we've got to look at ourselves and make sure we keep going."

Ferguson stated last week he felt Chelsea were United's main rivals for the title and today reiterated that he thinks it will be extremely tough for Arsenal to overhaul his team.

In bullish mood after his side booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a midweek win over Roma, Ferguson said: "If we beat them, it makes it difficult for them, no question.

"But it's difficult anyway because they're six points behind us and three points behind Chelsea.

"With five games to go there's not a lot of leeway and they can't afford to drop anything really.

"But that doesn't make it any different in how we prepare because Arsenal games are always very competitive anyway."

Ferguson believes that injuries to key players is the main reason for the Gunners' miserable run of just two wins in 12 matches, which started with a 4-0 defeat in the FA Cup at Old Trafford.

Some observers have pointed at that heavy defeat as the turning point in Arsenal's season but Ferguson disagrees.

He said: "I'm not sure how much of an effect that FA Cup game had. I think Arsenal have had injuries in the second half of the season that has made it difficult to rest players.

"They lost [Abou] Diaby, Denilson, [Tomas] Rosicky, [Robin] van Persie, and you can't win games consistently without your best team.

"You just can't do it, not at the level we're at and we suffered with that last season. You can't get the best results without your best players."

Despite Ferguson's withering assessment of their title hopes, midfielder Gilberto insists there is no mood of despondency in the Arsenal camp.

The Brazilian is convinced his side can still win the League providing they take maximum points from their five remaining matches.

Gilberto, who will be back in the Gunners' midfield on Sunday in place of injured Frenchman Mathieu Flamini, said: "It's a big game. Maybe things can happen — you never know.

The important thing is to try and forget what happened against Liverpool.

"We still have a chance to win the title but it's important that we win all five remaining games. If we do that, why not?"

The midfielder even tried to take some positives from the 4-2 loss at Anfield, adding: "Sometimes you learn more in defeats and nights like Tuesday than when you win.

"But of course no one at this club enjoys it when we lose or miss the opportunity to play in a Champions League semi-final. We will all learn from that result."

Flamini's injury compounded a heartbreaking night on Merseyside but the midfielder is expected to return in time to face Derby at the end of the month.

Wenger said today: "I believe Mathieu will be out for three weeks. It's a big blow but Gilberto has a lot of quality and experience and he will help the team recover and focus."

Dutch striker Van Persie is available to start at Old Trafford but defender Bacary Sagna is still missing with an ankle problem.

For United, Rio Ferdinand is fit to face Arsenal despite suffering a foot injury in the victory over Roma.

The news is a big boost for United as fellow centre-half Nemanja Vidic is still sidelined by a knee problem.