Former England player Michael Owen has admitted that he does not believe doubts will begin to creep in at Arsenal in the Premier League title race despite losing their second league match of the season at relegation-threatened Everton on Saturday.
The Toffees managed to outwit the Gunners in new manager Sean Dyche's first game with a James Tarkowski goal in the second half proving the difference between the two sides.
However, Mikel Arteta's side will remain top of the Premier League even if Manchester City beat their north London rivals Tottenham, and Owen believes that the defeat won't be the start of a downfall for Arsenal.
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"I don’t think so [that doubts will start to creep in]," said the former Liverpool forward on Premier League Productions. "I think your eyes don’t lie. I think what we have seen is a different Arsenal team this season.
"Every team has their off day. Every team gets beat from time to time. But this is a totally different Arsenal team from what we saw five-ten years ago. This is a tough team.
"They withstood a lot. They had a lot thrown at them. They conceded one goal, from a set piece. There were circumstances where they could have avoided it, don’t get me wrong.
"If I was an Arsenal fan, then I would be absolutely buoyant about what this season could offer."
Arteta's men have four more league matches to contest in February, including a mouthwatering fixture at home to closest title challengers Manchester City on Wednesday the 15th sandwiched by another home match against Brentford and trips to the Midlands against Aston Villa and Leicester City respectively.
How serious the Gunners are at challenging for the title will become significantly clearer come the end of the month.
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