Martin Keown has taken aim at Jamie Carragher after the Liverpool legend questioned whether Mikel Arteta's peak as Arsenal manager has already been and gone.

The Gunners ran Manchester City close in the title race in each of the last two seasons, but have not been able to fully capitalize on City's drop-off so far this season.

Liverpool currently tops the Premier League standings on 50 points, six clear of Arsenal, which sits on on 44 points after 22 matches. After 22 matches last season, Arsenal sat on 46 points, while two seasons ago, the Gunners sat on 51 points after 22 matches.

Arsenal's failure to take full advantage of City's struggles this season prompted Carragher to question whether we may already have seen the best of Arteta's Arsenal over the weekend.

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Carragher said in The Telegraph: “Have we already witnessed the peak years of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal reign? It feels like this Emirates era is heading towards a crossroads, with Arsenal in the middle of a high-stakes game. This will either be one of the greatest seasons in the club’s history – ending a 21-year wait for the Premier League title – or a campaign which ends amid a highly-charged post-season review into how they squandered their best chance to become champions in two decades.”

Keown doesn't often take kindly to criticism of Arsenal and sprung into defensive mode on talkSPORT, saying: “I've seen plenty of performances this year where I've been really convinced [of Arsenal's title credentials], when they've had everybody available.

“It seems like it's a sniper from Jamie Carragher, but sometimes I wonder whether he actually is a Liverpool fan. The amount of rows he's got into with Van Dijk and Salah and various players and suddenly now here he is, championing his former club at Arsenal's demise."

He added: “I think really we have a manager in the shape of Arteta who's only just beginning. I think that in the last two or three seasons, they've been up there with Man City. Man City have now fallen away.

"I don't see it as a surprise that Liverpool are where they are. We know that they were in a three-horse race this time last year. It doesn't surprise me that they're now worthy leadersBut I don't think it's time really to dismantle the challenges of Arsenal.”