Chris Sutton believes Arsenal will return to winning ways against West Ham United after letting a two-goal lead slip in their 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend.
The Gunners, six points clear at the top of the table, looked on course to claiming all three points from Anfield when Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put them two up inside half an hour.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side managed to fight back and claim a point in what was a feisty affair, with Mohamed Salah reducing the deficit before half-time and Roberto Firmino scoring a late equaliser.
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Mikel Arteta’s men are just eight games away from lifting their first Premier League title since 2004 but second-place Manchester City are nipping at their heels and have a game in-hand.
But former Chelsea and Celtic striker Sutton does not believe Arsenal will trip up this weekend against London rivals West Ham, who head into this fixture on the back of a crucial 1-0 victories against Southampton and Fulham either side of a 5-1 defeat versus Newcastle United in the Premier League and Thursday night's 1-1 draw at KAA Gent in the Europa Conference League.
Those six vital points against Saints and the Cottagers have built up a three-point gap between David Moyes’ side and the bottom three and although the Irons are “still desperate” for points Sutton reckons Arsenal will claim a 2-0 win at the London Stadium.
“Arsenal need to bounce back here after what happened to them at Anfield,” Sutton told BBC Sport. “I can see why their draw against Liverpool is viewed by some as being a good point gained, especially because of Aaron's Ramsdale brilliant save to deny the Reds at the end - it could have been worse for Mikel Arteta's side.
“But I know how I felt as a player when we led 2-0 in games and let it slip, and it will have felt like a defeat for the Gunners. That Granit Xhaka moment, where he clashed with Trent Alexander-Arnold at the end of the first half and got the Anfield crowd going, turned out to be costly. I do feel for Xhaka a bit but, at the end of the season, when people look back at the pivotal moments in the title race, that could well be one of them.
“So, the way the leaders react is going to be fascinating. The wheels could have come off when they lost to Manchester City in February but they responded with seven successive wins.
“Nothing less than a win will do for them here either, and I think they will get it. West Ham got a really vital victory over Fulham last week and they are still desperate for points so they will give everything here - but Arsenal should be too good for them.”
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