Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes his former side are "here to stay" at the top of the Premier League after they extended their lead to seven points with a 3-1 win over West Ham.
The Gunners showed champion credentials at the Emirates Stadium as they came from 1-0 down to defeat David Moyes' side. Mikel Arteta's team were the better side throughout and only found themselves behind from Said Benrahma's spot-kick.
In the second half, Arsenal's attacking stars continued their fine start to the season with three goals in 16 minutes. Bukayo Saka continued his goalscoring run from the World Cup to level the scoring before Gabriel Martinelli put the Gunners ahead two minutes before the hour mark.
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The evening's work in north London was completed when Eddie Nketiah scored his first Premier League goal since May to round-off a well-worked team goal. Arsenal ensured they will enter 2023 as league leaders with victory and are beginning to become people's title favourites.
After the game, West Ham captain Declan Rice labelled the Gunners a "top team" and made a huge claim regarding the title race. Speaking to the media after his side's defeat, he said: "100% (Arsenal are title contenders).
"I think they’re a top team, you can see they're coached incredibly well, the attacking talent, it’s a young squad, they could go the whole way for sure. They’re a good team.
"We tried to stop them first half but it’s really hard. In the end, we come up short and it’s frustrating."
And Rice's comments were backed by Henry, who worked with Amazon Prime for the game. The former Gunner pointed out the importance of having a good squad when attempting to win a league title amid Nketiah's impressive performance.
"Yes, they are here to stay, we are here to stay," he said. "We have a team, all Arsenal fans were waiting for was a team to compete - not one, two or three players. A squad.
"You win a title with a squad, this is what Nketiah showed tonight, that he can be the answer for the time-being or when (Gabriel) Jesus comes back, but that's what he did."
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