Arsene Wenger believes the race for the title is down to three clubs with Liverpool now excluded following this week's results.
Manchester United narrowly top the Barclays Premier League on goal difference from Arsenal with Chelsea four points behind.
Everton are the trio's nearest challengers but are 10 points adrift of the Stamford Bridge side and Wenger believes it is now a three-horse race.
He told Arsenal TV Online: "Most probably yes, but we have to keep an open mind.
"At the moment I feel it is too early to come to definite conclusions and the only thing you want is for your team to respond because it's a race where the consistency will be rewarded - and the strength of character.
"I know I have plenty in my team and that is why I don't want to calculate, I just want to look at how well we can respond in every game because I know that kind of consistency and stamina in performances will be determinant."
The top three all won their midweek fixtures but Liverpool's injury-time defeat to West Ham led Wenger to believe the Reds are no longer contenders after dropping to seventh, 17 points behind the top two.
"It looks like," Wenger continued. "If they win their game in hand they are 14 points behind and 10 behind Chelsea so it looks like three teams."
Emmanuel Adebayor has emerged as the successor to Thierry Henry with 16 league goals and his manager does not believe there is a better striker in the Premier League.
"For me, no," he said. "But I support him completely because I brought him here.
"When I brought him here not many people knew him and not many people believed in him.
"What's most pleasing is that he has a strong attitude, a winning attitude, and he wants to do things for the team and that is why I'm pleased he is improving all the time.
"He starts now to get the credit he deserves.
"Before I think a lot of people looked at him as a replacement for the players missing but now people realise he is more than that, that he is a strong player."
Adebayor is second in the scoring charts behind Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo with 19 and Wenger admits he is surprised.
"I'm not surprised Adebayor scores more (than last season) but that he is already at 16 is a little beyond expectations because he had a spell of five, six games where he didn't score but now he is back on a good run.
"Ronaldo is a bit of a surprise as well because he is more playing in the midfield or on the right flank.
"But sometimes when players get the taste they like it and they keep scoring.
"For Ronaldo, he takes every free kick and every penalty and he is a free kick specialist so that helps him to get the number."
The Gunners travel to face a Manchester City side tomorrow who are unbeaten at Eastlands and Wenger admits it is a tricky fixture.
"It is but we know that. We have one advantage - we are warned. We are up for it and we are on a good run in the Premier League and we want to keep that going."
Wenger also admitted to being a fan of young City and England defender Micah Richards.
When asked if he had ever made an attempt to sign him, Wenger said: "I follow him of course but I wouldn't like to put any shadow over that before a big game like that.
"But he is one of the interesting English prospects who has done extremely well in the last year.
"First he came out as a right back but he has surprised me how quickly he has adapted to central defending and how well he has done that."
