Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has urged the Gunners’ defence to stop stuttering starts after they fell 17 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League table. The Gunners suffered a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United last weekend despite dominating the field of play.

The north London club had numerous shots saved by the brilliance of Red Devils shot-stopper David de Gea, and they were eventually done by their own backline, which failed to cope with the movement and physical attributes of the United attack.

Despite this, the Gunners failed to learn their lessons against Southampton this weekend as they conceded courtesy of a Charlie Austin goal in just the third minute. Olivier Giroud saved their blushes with an 88th-minute leveller in a 1-1 draw, but the Saints could have easily put the game to bed with the opportunities they failed to capitalise.

In a report covered by Standard Sport, Cech feels the club were lucky to have secured at least one point versus the Saints, and they need to improve their awareness in the early part of the game, he said, “One thing that is really gutting is that we lost the game against Man United in the first 10 minutes. We could have been 3-0 down after 10 minutes again [at Southampton] and I think this is something we need to improve.

“In this league, if you give other teams the advantage in the first five minutes, you make it far more difficult for yourselves. We were lucky to get a point, even if we deserved to get one in the end because we put them under pressure. But we wanted all three.”

Arsenal face a tricky game against West Ham United in midweek, and they need to play to the best of their abilities in order to overcome their London rivals, who come off a shock 1-0 win over Chelsea. The Hammers have looked more organised under David Moyes, who has instilled confidence in several players including Marko Arnautovic.