Arsene Wenger today insisted his team will "fight until the last second" for the Premier League title after Sir Alex Ferguson questioned their ability to recover from the shattering defeat by Liverpool.

The Arsenal boss has seen his team's season fall apart over the last two months, culminating in the 5-3 aggregate Champions League loss at Anfield on Tuesday night.

The club have also slumped to six points behind United in the title race - having once boasted a five-point lead - and on Sunday face a must-win game at Old Trafford to keep their season alive.

Earlier today, Ferguson said it would be hard for Arsenal to win the League even if they beat his team and claimed the psychological damage of the Liverpool result would play in United's favour.

But Wenger hit back this afternoon, insisting he has built a team of "winners" who are in no mood to give up on silverware this season.

The Frenchman said: "This is where you see the winners and losers. The winners continue to believe and fight when the others stop and that's what we have to do.

"The Liverpool game was a big blow but we are focussed and ready to make life hard for United. I can understand people who say the team's season is over but if we win at Manchester United we can win the title and that's why it's important to focus.

"What is at stake on Sunday is the work of a whole year. If we go there and don't believe then it is over. But do you really think that we will go to Manchester United thinking that our season is finished? That would be ridiculous. We have worked so hard and we will fight until the last second."

Wenger also reiterated his view that key decisions from referees - notably penalty incidents in the two legs of the Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool - have gone against his side this season.

He added: "If we were to win now it would be my most satisfying title because we have been punished in the last seven weeks more than any team I have seen in England. Every decision has gone against us."

Ferguson was at Anfield for the epic clash with Liverpool on Tuesday and left early thinking Arsenal had done enough to reach the semi-finals.

He said: "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."

The United boss said last week he felt Chelsea were United's main rivals for the title and stood by that view today. He 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."

Some observers have pointed at United's 4-0 victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford as the turning point in Arsenal's season but Ferguson disagrees, believing instead that injuries have taken their toll on a small Gunners squad. 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."

Meanwhile, Wenger today refused to be drawn into a public slanging match with goalkeeper Jens Lehman, who earlier this week delivered a withering criticism of his boss' decision-making in the German press.

The Arsenal manager, who has for much of the season preferred Manuel Almunia to Lehman in goal, said: "I have nothing personal with Jens and he has never been disrespectful to me in any training session or in any contact I have had with him."

"It will not affect whether I decide to play him.

"If you can find a player in the country who is happy not playing, then there is a problem."

The German international's contract expires at the end of the season when he is almost certain to leave the club.