Rio Ferdinand is urging Arsenal fans not to get carried away after their 1-0 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Gunners returned to the top of the Premier League table thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes' second-half winner. Mikel Arteta's side are enjoying a fantastic season after winning 11 of their opening 13 games - leaving them two points clear of Champions Manchester City.
Yet Ferdinand believes it's too early to draw conclusions. Although he thinks Arsenal are a "serious team" and controlled Sunday's game, he thinks Graham Potter did not deploy his "first-team" due to injuries. Chelsea were without several big-name players.
"What I would say is I agree the control without the ball against Chelsea was next level - unreal," Ferdinand told the Vibe with Five podcast. "It shows you the coaching and hard work that has gone in under the manager.
"That was a patched up Chelsea team, they are missing Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante, there is six players that more or less start in that team. I was so impressed with how Arsenal played but let’s have a little reality check. Arsenal are a serious team now but it wasn’t even their [Chelsea’s] first-team."
It's important to note Arsenal also had two first-team players missing for Sunday's game in Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Smith Rowe will not play again until after the World Cup due to a groin injury, while Tomiyasu has a muscle complaint.
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Although Ferdinand has urged for a reality check, he does believe Arsenal are heading in the right direction. Arteta has turned the team's fortunes around since the start of last season when they lost three consecutive games to Brentford, Man City and Chelsea.
Ferdinand told BT Sport at full-time on Sunday: "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."
Arsenal haven't won the Premier League title since Arsene Wenger's side went unbeaten during the 2003/04 campaign - becoming the 'Invincibles' - and haven't qualified for the Champions League since the 2015/16 term.
The Gunners have won four FA Cups and five Community Shields since May 2004, yet their supporters crave a team that's capable of challenging for the Premier League title. Arteta's side are doing well and will aim to continue their good form after the World Cup.
Man City are the favourites for the Premier League title, as talisman Erling Haaland has already scored 18 goals in the division this season. Other pre-season candidates Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are struggling to challenge.
