"I don't think we should forget who they are" - Frank Lampard delivers verdict on Arsenal title hopes after Chelsea draw

Frank Lampard has refused to rule out Arsenal's chances in the Premier League title race despite dropping points against Chelsea this weekend. The Englishman insists that the Gunners remain a great team and are still in contention this season.

Arsenal drew 1-1 against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (November 10) in the London derby. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring in the 60th minute before Pedro Neto equalized ten minutes later.

While the points were split in what seemed a fair result for both teams, Mikel Arteta's side now find themselves lagging in the title race. The Gunners are nine points off of league-leaders Liverpool, sitting in fourth and level on points with third-placed Chelsea.

However, despite the gap, Lampard believes that Arsenal could still lift the title this season. Speaking on Premier League Productions after the game, he said (via Metro):

"After a tough run I don’t think we should forget who they are and what they’ve built. Good team, they’ve got a very good coach, a physical team, a strong team. Maybe there’s some points, the number 9 we talk about that typically teams need to win the league, an absolute number 9, they don’t have that option so much.

"But other than that, it’s nine points to Liverpool, who have not had that moment, that blip. That could be at some stage for them, so they certainly shouldn’t give up that hope."

The Gunners will face Nottingham Forest at the Emirates after the international break on November 23.

Theo Walcott on Arsenal's title chances this season

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott agreed with Frank Lampard's assessment of the Gunners' title hopes this season. He backed his former club to continue challenging in the league despite their massive gap with Liverpool.

The north Londoners have already faced Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur so far, the Premier League's top six teams in the table last season.

Walcott has attributed his former side's form of late to their difficult run of fixtures, while also highlighting their injury issues this season. He said (via the aforementioned outlet):

"The difference with Arsenal at this moment in time is that they are lacking in goals, while they are not conceding many – but at this point of the season it’s important to factor in who they have played. I would say that, so far, they have played tougher teams – they have played six of last season’s top 10, and five of those games have been away from home.

"Plus, most of the time they have been without their main player, Martin Odegaard, and they are still where they are. People tend to forget all of that when they look into how Arsenal are not playing at the same level they were at last year, but for me it is one of the reasons not to write them off in the title race."