Graeme Souness has leapt to the defence of Arsenal's Petr Cech following the goalkeeper's nightmare debut at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Cech misjudged the flight of the ball for West Ham's opener and let Mauro Zarate's tame second-half effort creep past him as the Hammers stunned Arsene Wenger's side.
The 33-year-old, who joined the Gunners for £10million from Premier League rivals Chelsea last month, was hailed as the man to help Arsenal win back the title after a 12-year wait but faced a barrage of criticism after his competitive bow in north London. .
Graeme Souness, however, has backed Cech to bounce back from his errors and this season maintain his repuatation as a 'top class goalkeeper'.
"Don’t judge him after one game,” Souness said on Sky Sports' Super Sunday.
"Arsenal will not be far away again, Petr Cech will still be one of the best goalkeepers in the world come the end for the season, and he will prove that.
“I am standing my ground on a very solid platform. He has never been anything other than a top class goalkeeper, and he will continue to be just that.
“He looks like he is wrong footed, and is moving to the wrong side,” Souness added.
“He has his weight on his left foot there, and he is retreating a bit.
“We are talking about this today as he is a top goalkeeper, but he is partially responsible for the result today.”
