Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has hinted that Arsenal could potentially be “the real deal” in a Premier League title race following their victory over Chelsea.
The Gunners turned in a hugely mature and impressive performance at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon - Gabriel Magalhaes’ close range strike proving to be enough for Mikel Arteta’s men. Victory saw Arsenal reclaim top spot from the clutches of Manchester City.
Whilst the Gunners were not at their slick best, their display still earned plenty of praise. They controlled the game from practically the first minute, whilst the final whistle was greeted with wild celebrations both in the away end of Stamford Bridge and among the Gunners’ coaching staff.
Ex-United centre-back Ferdinand has claimed the connections in the current squad could potentially see them continue their surprise push for the Premier League crown this season. Speaking on BT Sport following the final whistle, he said: “I’ve seen something with this Arsenal team.
"Are this team the real deal? There’s something there, togetherness, you can smell it in this team. The way they celebrate. There’s an authority of how Arsenal are playing under this man Mikel Arteta.
"How many times did we look at each other when a phase of play happened and it was all because of the way that Arsenal were making them moves on the pitch. A real top performance. These types of games are hard and they made it look as easy as you can make it.”
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Arsenal boss Arteta was also full of praise for the display of his side across the capital as they continue battling with Man City at the top of the Premier League.
“We want to get back at the top but the competition is so difficult in this league,” the Spaniard said. “The challenge was to come here against a top team and perform the way we did today. The boys did that.
“For such a young team, the maturity, composure, resilience and composure was phenomenal. To do it on the pitch against these opponents.
“Winning in this stadium is an extra thing. It’s another step for this team that they can do it. We have to enjoy it because they deserve a lot of credit.”
Arsenal will certainly be aiming to hold onto top spot heading into the mid-season break for the World Cup. They are now two points ahead of Man City ahead of next weekend’s clash with struggling Wolves, whilst they also have a Carabao Cup third round tie with Brighton to navigate in midweek.
