Author: Soorya G
With a 3-1 home win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal regained top spot in the Premier League, while the visitors suffered their sixth consecutive defeat under Frank Lampard, worsening what is already a terrible season for the Blues. The Gunners went into the game hoping to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City, and they did so by keeping their cool in a tepid first half.
The typical London derby didn’t have the same energy as usual, presumably due to the poor performance of the visitors. However, the Emirates fans did their best to provide an enthusiastic atmosphere for their players, who responded quickly as Martin Odegaard took advantage of a poorly organized Chelsea defence to open the scoring.
There were a number of chances that could easily have ended up in the back of the net as Arsenal totally dominated the visitors. Chelsea had no respite after the first goal, and the same duo from the first goal increased the score. It was a very similar goal to the first, when Xhaka’s low cross found Martin Odegaard in the box, who made no mistake and scored again. Shortly after Odegaard’s second, Brazilian Gabriel Jesus scored Arsenal’s third, taking advantage of a mix-up in the Chelsea penalty area. Xhaka could have scored Arsenal’s fourth goal, but Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made a good save.
Meanwhile, World Cup-winning midfielder N’Golo Kante was Chelsea’s best player for most of the game, often taking responsibility for initiating attacking sequences. Chelsea even attempted a comeback, but his pass to Noni Madueke was poor and the Blues remained goalless.
Afterwards, Madueke received a fine cross from Mateo Kovacic, which found the back of the net, evening the score.
After the goal, Chelsea didn’t have many more chances, as the Gunners’ defense seemed impenetrable.
So with the final score 3-1 to the home side, coach Mikel Arteta described it as a “chance to put things right”. North Londoners are looking forward to next Wednesday, when Manchester City take on West Ham United. A slip-up by the league leaders could open up the title race once again, and that’s exactly what the Gunners are hoping for.
Elsewhere, Leicester City climbed out of the relegation zone, at least for the time being, with a 2-2 draw against Sean Dyche’s Everton, who were pushed further down the table. Relegation could be on the cards for either side, with Leicester in a slightly better position, one point ahead with a relatively easier fixture list until the end of the season.