Giroud backs pal Mikel in waiting game for Gunners

OLIVIER GIROUD says Mikel Arteta will bounce back from more heartbreak to end Arsenal's long wait for a Premier League title.

-  By Matt Maltby

The Gunners have been Liverpool's closest challengers all season, but a shock defeat by West Ham on Saturday resulted in them falling 11 points behind the runaway leaders.

With just 12 matches left, time is running out for manager Arteta again, as he desperately bids to win the club's first crown since Arsene Wenger's 2004 Invincibles.

After missing out to Manchester City twice, Arne Slot's Liverpool are now on track to deliver a third successive blow - with the pressure mounting on the Gunners manager.

But Giroud, right, knows all about the mindset Arteta has, having played alongside the Spaniard during a six-year spell at the Emirates in which they won two FA Cups together.