The defeat has significant ramifications for the title race, as Madrid now find themselves chasing a gap that could widen depending on Barcelona's result against Atletico Madrid. Arbeloa acknowledged that the road to the trophy is now much steeper than it was prior to kick-off, though he refused to concede the race entirely with several games still left to play.
"It is more difficult than before starting the match," Arbeloa admitted. "We have eight matchdays left and, as I told the players, however the league is, our next objective is to win the eight that remain. And to do so we have to play better than today and perform at a much higher level. Everything is more difficult, but our objective has to be the same."