 Complete the following phrase:  Such was the likelihood of Manchester United going on to retain the title, bookmaker Fred Done paid out on punters with two months of the season left. Arsenal steadily closed the gap, however, and victory against Wimbledon in March 1998 set up a title clash between themselves and the reigning champions. Wenger in the lead up to the game maintained it was possible for Arsenal to win the league, stating two or three weeks ago, the title was just a dream for us and people laughed when I said we could still do it. He suggested Manchester United were responsible for making the title race interesting. At Old Trafford, Overmars scored the decisive goal to give Arsenal a 10 win. The victory was followed by nine consecutive league wins, the last of which was a home fixture against Everton that secured Arsenals status as champions. Wenger became the first foreign manager to win the double, when his team beat Newcastle United in the 