Cole: We're out to stop Chelsea

Ashley Cole admitted today that it would be "doubly special" to win the title at the expense of big-spending Chelsea.

Arsenal closed the gap on Chelsea to five points with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Newcastle last night and Cole believes his side have proved over the Christmas period that they can handle the pressure of having to win to keep within touching distance of the league leaders.

Arsenal earned their win with a deflected goal by skipper Patrick Vieira just on half-time.

Cole said: "We don't want the gap to get any bigger. Chelsea are doing well but hopefully they will have a blip like we did.

"As for back-to-back championships, with me being an Arsenal supporter, that is all you want. For me, the manager and the fans it would be nice to celebrate for a second season. It would be nice to beat Chelsea with all the players they have brought in - doubly special.

"The win at Newcastle was vital. Before the game, a lot of people thought we would slip up but we showed a lot of character. Like a lot of teams, Newcastle raised their game against us. But we showed people we are back to how we were and we are now nicking one-nil wins. That is good.

"When you are in action after Chelsea and they have won, it plays on your mind. You try not to let it, but it does. It is hard for us to keep watching Chelsea win but a victory like the one at Newcastle gives us confidence to believe we can go and win it. It is going to be tough, but we feel we have the team to do it.

"It has been a hard start for us and we have had to get to grips with it and watch how well Chelsea are playing. It will be special if we can win it because not a lot of people think we can."