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Arsenal’s dominant win over Atletico Madrid has forced Jamie Carragher to concede for the first time that they are serious contenders for the Champions League . The Gunners scored four times in 13 minutes to thrash Atleti 4-0 on Tuesday night and continue their perfect start in the competition. Mikel Arteta ’s side have now seen off Athletic Club, Olympiakos and Atletico Madrid without conceding. Gabriel Magalhaes headed Declan Rice ’s free-kick in to make it 1-0 before Gabriel Martinelli curled in an eye-catching second. Viktor Gyokeres then scored two close-range finishes to end his goal drought and secure another three points for Arsenal . Arteta’s side are joint top of the Champions League group stage table, alongside defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and last year’s runners-up Inter Milan, while they are also top of the Premier League . Carragher was extremely impressed by what he saw against Diego Simeone’s side and has changed his mind on their chances after they reached the semi-finals last season. "Right now I think Arsenal and Bayern are the two most impressive teams I've seen when you look at their performances domestically and what they're doing in the Champions League," the former Liverpool defender said on CBS Sports. "I’ve said before on this show that I've never had Arsenal down as a Champions League club. I know that might sound obvious because they've never won it before but I've always thought there’s something about them that doesn’t connect, they’ve never really gone close. "Thierry's [Arsenal] team was the best team I ever played against in the Premier League and even that team didn't come close enough to winning the Champions League. It wasn't that team that got to the Champions League final. "I do look at this team now and see how strong they are defensively. My Liverpool team that won the Champions League [in 2005] were not a great team attacking-wise but we were strong defensively. "That always gives you a chance, especially when you get to the knockout stages and the two-legged ties. If you're strong defensively you've always got a chance. So, yeah, I see Arsenal as one of the four or five teams that can win this competition." PSG demolished Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 on Tuesday night to continue their perfect start, while Inter beat Union Saint-Gilloise. But Arsenal’s defensive record and squad depth has seen them emerge as a force in Europe following 2-0 wins over Athletic Club and Olympiakos. HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Arsenal win the Champions League this season? Comment below . Arteta was delighted with his side’s performance against Atleti. “I'm extremely happy and proud of the performance and the results against a really good side,” he said. “I was very impressed when I analysed them and what I've seen today about them as well. “So, I knew about the difficulty of it. It required a lot of aggression and a lot of patience as well, and the way they managed the context of the game and the way they can manipulate their behaviour was really impressive.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
