Mikel Arteta manages to get his first win for Arsenal in the Premier League against London rivals Chelsea since their 1-0 victory against Manchester united on November 1st. With club captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang on the bench and summer signing Gabriel Magalhaes missing out due to covid-19 exposure, many already predicted another Arsenal loss.
Arteta switched things up trusting the youth giving Gabriel Martinelli(19), Emile Smith Rowe(20), and Bukayo Saka (19) a start and it was proven the right decision. The youngsters were full of energy and constantly pressing with a high line, something that’s been missing from this Arsenal side the last two months.
Creativity was also a huge boost with Emile Smith Rowe creating the most chances (3) and the left flank constantly attacking the Chelsea defense. Left back Kieran Tierney had a sensational first half, winning the penalty for the first goal and being a constant threat with left winger Martinelli.
Granit Xhaka returned from his 3 game ban and was the man of the match for me controlling the midfield. Although he may be rash with his challenges, his physical tenure was missing during his suspension and his passing was on point today, playing a major part in the first goal. He scored the second goal at the end of the first half with a bullet free-kick that went to the top corner. By far the gunners best first half performance of the season.
The second half begun with Arsenal showing the same intensity in the first half. Bukayo Saka scored a sensational goal in the 56th minute. It looked like he was trying to cross it to Martinelli but it dipped right into the top corner leaving Chelsea Keeper Edouard Mendy no chance of saving that.
Chelsea get a goal back by Tammy Abraham in the 85th minute and are then awarded a penalty in the 90th minute after a late tackle from Pablo Marri on Mason Mount. A late Chelsea comeback was on the verge of occurring with the penalty. Jorginho steps up to take it and does his traditional penalty routine but Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno guesses the right way and saves the penalty. Chelsea hopes of a comeback comes to an end and after 5 minutes of added time it ends 3-1.
Mikel Arteta ends Arsenal win drought of 7 games and is now looking to get a run of form in order to bring back the gunners back to the top four. With the January transfer window starting next week, Arsenal need to be active in the market in order to reach their ambitions of returning back into the Champions League. Although they may be 14th at the moment, the League table is very close with 4th place Everton currently having 27 points and Arsenal 17 points. It’s been a bizarre season and a run of games could bring Arsenal back into contention for the Champions League spots.
As for Chelsea, Frank Lampard has one win in his last 4 games with three defeats. After spending over 200 million in the summer transfer window Chelsea are currently 7th and could drop to 8th if Tottenham win their game tomorrow. Injuries have been an issue for Lampard but with the squad he has in his disposable and the backing received, he certainly must be performing better and more pressure will be added on to him. They can still challenge for the champions league spots but it looks like their chances of challenging Liverpool for the league title has came to an end.
Alex's Soccer Blog 