Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has ruled out one team from being serious contenders in this season's Premier League title race. Defending champions Arsenal have made a strong start to the season, winning comfortably against Coventry and Aston Villa in their first two matches. Last weekend, Mikel Arteta’s team showed resilience by coming from behind to defeat London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Currently, the Gunners are second in the table, just behind Manchester City, who have also had a promising start under new manager Enzo Maresca. Despite losing several key players over the summer, Manchester City have won all three of their opening games. New signings Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye made their debuts against Coventry, adding depth to Maresca’s squad. Meanwhile, Chelsea sit fourth in the league after their recent defeat to Arsenal. This loss marks Xabi Alonso’s first competitive defeat since joining the club. The west London side has spent heavily this summer, with Morgan Rogers signed for a British-record transfer fee. They also added experienced players like Emiliano Martinez, who joined late but is expected to improve the team’s defensive options. Petit, who played for both Arsenal and Chelsea in his career, believes his former club should aim for at least a top-four finish this season. However, he feels it is too early to consider Chelsea as genuine title contenders, especially in Alonso’s first season as a manager in the Premier League. In an interview with talkSPORT, Petit said, “I believe in Alonso, and I really believe with the feeling of revenge from the players. They owe something to the fans, to the club, but to themselves too.” He added that he expects Arsenal to win back-to-back Premier League titles and that while Chelsea will fight hard for the title, it might be too soon for them to be real contenders this season. Not everyone agrees with Petit’s assessment. Alan Shearer, a former Premier League player and commentator, believes Chelsea can still challenge Arsenal for the title, despite their recent loss. When asked about Arsenal’s biggest rivals, Shearer named Chelsea and Manchester City, favoring the latter. He also said that Manchester United are not strong enough defensively to be serious title contenders. Chelsea will aim to bounce back from their loss to Arsenal when they face Hull City on Saturday. Hull, who are unbeaten in their first three league games this season, will provide a tough challenge for the Blues.