Like most players surely would be, Petr Čech has admitted he’s thankful to play alongside Alexis Sánchez.

The goalkeeper kept another clean sheet on Sunday as the Gunners beat Manchester United 3-0, but was quick to praise two-goal hero Alexis Sánchez.

The forward struggled to find the back of the net over the first few weeks of the season but has since netted six times in three games.

“It’s always hard for the players when you have the Copa América,” Cech told Arsenal Player after the game. “He won it, he was there for a really long time, didn’t have much break and then came back and needed to start again.”

The former Barcelona man is a crucial member of the Chilean national team. They hosted the continental tournament over the summer and managed to win it, clinching their first ever trophy as a nation.

Always the star of the show, Alexis scored the winning penalty as Chile beat Argentina on penalties in the final. Playing for Argentina that day, Sergio Agüero has also had a stuttering start to the season but scored five times on Saturday as Manchester City beat Newcastle.

“You could see that everybody from the Copa America had a slow start, in other teams and competitions as well,” the goalkeeper added.

“We’re pleased that he’s back with his energy, with his enthusiasm and you can see that he feels confident and with performances like that, it’s great for the team.”

Great for the team and the fans. Having a world class goalkeeper like Čech between the posts is a huge boost. With him at the back and Alexis up front, Arsenal have a chance of keeping a clean sheet and a chance of scoring in every game.

Both were crucial again on Sunday, and will continue to be if we are to have any chance of sustaining a title challenge.