Arsenal moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League and made a potentially significant improvement in goal difference with a crushing victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners backed up their victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers with an emphatic performance helped by a dreadful display from a Chelsea side who appeared to want the season to end now following their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
Arsenal suffered last week with a Premier League home defeat to Aston Villa and a Champions League quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich, but the manner in which this victory demonstrated that the title momentum is back with Mikel Arteta’s team.
Leandro Trossard calmed nerves early on by beating Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic at the near post and although the visitors occasionally threatened in the first half, Nicolas Jackson missing a clear headed chance, Arsenal simply rebelled after the break.
The second goal Arsenal wanted came when Ben White scored after Chelsea had failed to clear a corner, before former Stamford Bridge striker Kai Havertz scored twice in eight minutes, the second a sumptuous finish after a magnificent pass from Martin Odegaard.
As Chelsea pulled one back in embarrassing fashion, White scored the second past Petrovic. That increased their goal difference to +56 – 13 more than Liverpool and 12 ahead of Manchester City – on what was practically the perfect night for Arsenal.
Arsenal back on track
Arsenal fans may have viewed this meeting with capital rivals Chelsea with some trepidation, after they slipped up badly and were beaten by Aston Villa in their last league game at the Emirates Stadium, when it appeared that the tension of the life at the top got to them.
The Gunners needed a quick start, which Trossard’s goal gave them, and after that they slowly but surely rediscovered the fluency and threat that seemed to have deserted them.
Arteta’s side encountered hapless opponents, commensurate with Chelsea, but the arrogance they showed in scoring second-half goals will have done wonders for their self-confidence ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
At the center of it all was captain Odegaard, composed and classy, and his delivery for Havertz’s second goal was an elite moment as it allowed the German to run and shoot high past Petrovic.
Each game is seen through the prism of a test of Arsenal’s character after last season’s late collapse coupled with recent setbacks, but the victory over Wolves and the thrashing of Chelsea here showed the resilience that has grown this season.
They could have produced a more convincing score, such was their superiority, and the fact that Havertz scored twice against his former club, after a first-half performance that can politely be described as lackluster, only added to the sweetness of the game. . victory.
The game against Spurs on Sunday will have huge ramifications for both teams and the Premier League title race, but Arsenal’s spirits will be high following this result and performance.
Chelsea’s chaotic show
The banner held up by a young fan watching Mauricio Pochettino’s team throw in the towel said it all: “I don’t want your shirt. I want you to fight for ours.”
He will have left the Emirates Stadium deeply disappointed after a cowardly effort from Chelsea, who could easily have suffered greater humiliation if Arsenal had taken advantage of every opportunity.
Indeed, they had moments in the first half, but the way they gave up when White made it 2-0 was unsettling for anyone of the Chelsea persuasion.
They were without their talisman and top scorer Cole Palmer, absent through illness, but those on the pitch scoffed at Pochettino’s pre-match claim that it was time to show they were not a one-man team.
It was another miserable night for Jackson, who was blamed for the Wembley defeat to Manchester City as he looked devoid of confidence and missed good opportunities that came his way.
Pochettino could only watch in disgust as his team were destroyed by Arsenal. If this was the end result of the rampant spending spree that began in the Todd Boehly era, then it bore all the hallmarks of money badly spent by Chelsea’s owners.
