Eddie Nketiah helps Arsenal give the perfect response to honest Paul Merson claim vs Chelsea

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are 'hurting' after three defeats in a row

Premier League Top Four Race Reaction | Antonio Conte, Ralf Rangnick, Mikel Arteta & David Moyes

Mikel Arteta responds to Alexandre Lacazette's comments

Thomas Tuchel gives his thoughts on the reduced number of Chelsea fans

Arsenal bounced back in fashion on Wednesday evening as they beat Chelsea in a thrilling 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge to prove Paul Merson right about their recent slump.

Speaking on Sky Sports prior to the match, the former Gunners midfielder claimed that a drop in potential was a key reason behind the side's three consecutive defeats in recent weeks, suggesting that they can't replicate the likes of Manchester City or Liverpool when they aren't at their best.

"They were playing to their ceiling. Their players were playing until their highest potential but that seems to have dropped off a little bit," Merson said. "They are not Manchester City or Liverpool who can win games playing at 80%, they have to be at 100% to win and they have not been like that in their recent games."

Eddie Nketiah proves Hasselbaink wrong vs Chelsea as Mikel Arteta's brave Arsenal call pays off

Arsenal appeared to at least play a lot closer to 100% against the Blues, possessing energy, determination and composure to ensure three points were secured. But as Merson explained, if the levels were any lower then the result could have turned out differently, with both teams lacking concentration at certain moments.

Merson also touched on Arsenal's lack of goals, with just one scored in over 270 minutes of football this month prior to the Chelsea fixture. "The hardest thing in football is to score goals. And some of those from Arsenal have been bad misses, but they