Theo Walcott says Arsenal's darkest days are firmly behind them, and the players now believe they are a match for any team in the world.

GettyImagesTheo Walcott celebrates giving Arsenal the lead

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The Gunners lost key midfielders Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas in August, then began the season in disastrous fashion - losing three of their first five league games, including an 8-2 reverse at Manchester United.

But boss Arsene Wenger invested heavily before the summer transfer window slammed shut - and, now the players are starting to gel, Arsenal look a force to be reckoned with after winning eight of their last nine games in all competitions.

And England international Walcott insists morale is high behind the scenes at the Emirates, especially after Saturday's 5-3 triumph over Chelsea.

"We are not looking too far ahead," Walcott said. "We don't want to say where we're going to finish at the end of the season, but the way we're playing at this moment in time we believe we can beat anyone.

"We're enjoying our football, our run is great now and we're just going to keep on continuing that... everyone is buzzing at the moment. We were disappointed to go 2-1 down just before half-time [against Chelsea], but before that we were playing some great football.

"It seemed that every time we went forward it looked like we were going to score and it could have been 8-7. It was just one of those crazy games that I'll never forget."