Under the interim management of Frank Lampard, Chelsea has been performing so incredibly badly, for Arsenal not to to capitalize on the opportunity to give Lampard his 6th defeat in a row would have been a disaster.
And in the early stages of the match, Arsenal appeared completely in control, while Chelsea seemed to run out of ideas as soon as they approached the halfway line.
Taking advantage of their dominance, Arsenal scored a goal after just 18 nminutes. Granit Xhaka threaded a ball across the edge of the penalty area, and Martin Odegaard held his run. The Norwegian calmly curled the ball into the underside of the bar, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Odegaard, who has repeatedly stepped up for Arsenal this season, was able to keep his composure again to double the lead from just 5 minutes later. He calmly take the chance once again, which came as no surprise with the Blues defenders still floundering.
The icing on the cake came in the 33rd minute when Jesus put the Gunners out of sight with a tight squeeze through the inside of of the keeper and the post, while Chelsea defenders were falling all over the floor in panic.
The game was basically over by half time, and the win will be a great boost to our confidence.
Lampard’s team talk didn’t work in the break, but Arteta must have told them to go for the kill, and within the first 8 minutes of the restart it could easily have been 5-0 if not for brilliant defending from the Blues, Thiago Silva’s cheeky knee save off the line most impressive, and Arteta respomded by taking Trossard off for Martinelli, who must think he can add to this seasn’s tally.
But suddenly Chelsea got a scrappy goal and gave the Blues a scrap of hope as Noni Madueke gets his first goal for them, but surely they have no hope at all really….
Chelsea did manage a couple of attempts in the last 10 minutes, but it was all over as a contest..
The bad news of the night is that Gabriel spent a lot of time on the floor looking in pain, and was eventually takem off, but the good news is that ARSENAL ARE BACK ON TOP!!!!!
COYG!
Cmon West Ham tomorrow evening.
Kiwior looks a decent find! Why was he not introduced when Saliba got injured
He lost some aerial duels. I think he’s better fit for the left CB role, than the sweeper CB
Surely you mean right CB, same as the position Saliba plays?
I consider Saliba’s role sweeper CB, because he always stays behind Magalhaes and White when we attack. He becomes the right CB when we defend
Agree.
Calm head cool on the ball and good in the air
Great work by the team and Odegaard was brilliant in the first half
Arsenal are very dangerous if the opposition don’t press them incessantly and intimidate them physically
Chelsea didn’t seem to have watched how Man City beat us and I think they’ll get crushed at the Etihad, if Lampard is still around
Only two gripes with the game. 1. Why wasn’t Gabriel subbed much earlier? 2. Zinchenko doesn’t work at LB, been caught out a number of times in recent games. Other than that, pretty comfortable win!
The fact I prefer Tierney than zinny
I don’t know if many will agree but I thought that Jorginho had a very good game,no?
Very good performance from most of the players. Jorginho was excellent. Odegaard deservedly man of the match. Odegaard regularly demonstrates that he is very good captain despite the naysayers on this site.
Poor error by Zinchenko to allow Chelsea some hope.
Overall a pretty good performance.
Sorry but Tierney is the better Defender
Tierney is way better at defending, but he cannot do what Zinchenko does in regards to the tactics.
Jen, you must have noticed that Zinchenko’s tactics often include passing the ball to his nearest opponent, and just switching off as he did for Chelsea’s goal last night.
Good game overall.we still got some individual errors that need to be ironed out. Ziny should surely track that run for the goal. We need to go back to being the best defense if we are to win the league
A good win but still doesn’t feel me with much confidence. Chelsea is a really poor team but we have to wish them well going forward. I think Odegaard, Kiwior, Jorginho and Xhaka really had a good game. Saka and Jesus really need to get their acts together before we play Newcastle. If we beat Newcastle convincingly on Sunday, that will be a very good pressure on a regular team except City are no regular team.
Having only joined the game after 40 minutes, I clearly missed the best bits. A comfortable win, tempered by a lack of cohesion at times in the second half.
Playing Chelsea was a bonus after such a difficult few games
Absolutely suep, they are a shambles. Don’t think they’ll win any game with a caretaker. Maybe they should appoint silva permanent manager for the city game 😜 no way frank is winning that game
😊👍
If they play like they did tonight, Chelsea fans had better watch the game from behind the sofa. It’ll be a horror show of epic proportions.
It was indeed Sue. The only disappointment was not giving them a hefty thumping. I’ll let a Liverpool fan sum it up; ‘I’m a Liverpool fan, but I’ve enjoyed, and endured Arsenal this season. Why oh why do they have to make things harder for themselves’?.
Couldn’t agree more Marge
Why is it that we settle for what we have and not go for the jugular?
Good performance all round, but zinny is a woeful defender, seems to be causing a problem every match
Saka has been poor recently, should have been off instead of trossard but I think the contract thing has a huge role in Arteta decision.
Kiwior looks like Saliba mk2. Trossard and Saka played really well and Xhaka was close to Ødegaard for man of the match.
I agree,he looked good.
What a journey we have had last three years 🫶COYG
A very good first half where we took an absolutely awful Chelsea to the cleaners. Good, positive, start to the second half and I was hoping we could avenge some Mourinho era thumpings. Then Trossard is taken off, the momentum slows and Chelsea take their first chance of the game. Cue a jittery last period of the match. Thankfully Chelsea are so bad there was no repeat of recent comebacks! As others have said the defensive problems are still there, and would Tiernay make the mistakes zinchenko does? Overall though, good to be back to winning ways, and let’s hope Gabriel’s injury isnt too bad.
We’ll done Kiwior. Let’s hope the Hammers hold City and give them some nerves for the Leeds game. Great first half, but lately we have faded in the second half. Young players eh. My only complaint is Partey has had too much on his mind and Jorginho should have come in three games ago.
Odegaard’s goals were fabulous, but I still see an obvious weakness in his game. He too often gives the ball away and most of the time we may not be punished, but I want him to cut out what I feel is a certain impetuousity. I think he sometimes tries to do everything too quickly when being a bit calmer and more thoughtful would be better. I know I’ll get complaints about this..
Tomorrow I’m a West Ham supporter for 90 min+ 😁
Message for @Grandad. Hope you notice this post. It’s been great discussing the CB issue with you in depth. I thought Kiwior was calm and quietly efficient. I think he was caught off balance once, but I like him. He doesn’t seem like a brash type to me, and therefore very different to Gabriel who is a bit of a drama queen. I think he’ll be good for us.
I hope Gabriel’s issue is not too serious.
In his quest to draw sympathy for himself and trying a little mind game of his own , Lampard said he congratulated the Kroenkes for sticking with Arteta, he went on Chelsea would have terminated Arteta.
Felt sorry for the young Englishman, like our great talisman Henry, they have both found it hard to earn their bread in this field.
Holding and Kiwior against Newcastle?!!! 😂😭
On my way home after the game and replying to some posts above.
Once again, Saka has been mentioned as having a bad game… The problem is, teams are doubling up on him and he cannot play his normal game.
Zinchenko, as a defender, is not up to task. Their goal was down to him.
I’m not saying he isn’t worth his place, but it should be in midfield and Tierney should certainly be selected for the Newcastle game.
Gabriel was a pest all night and fully deserved his goal.
Great first half and it was obvious that chelsea had to play better in the second half.
Good substitutions at relevant times and the crowd, once again, was top notch.
Has to laugh at some of our chants :
Are you Tottenham in disguise?
Super super frank, super frankie lampard.
chelsea.. We’ve won it all
Arsenal… You bought it all
Aubameyang was just not in it and received a tremendous cheer when it was announced that he had been substituted at half time.
Mudryk was also given a “good reception”.
Only downside was the injury to Gabriel, but Holding got an excellent reception – that’s what real fans do!!
Great post and commentary Ken1945. A man that travels far to watch his Beloved Arsenal. l aways love your astute posts. You always say it as you’ve seen it. When one actually goes to an Arsenal football match, you always see the wider picture. Once again Ken well done
Did you agree with Trossard being subbed off(60th)? that’s what I’m talking about.we were in command and it would have been good for Trossard to get a full 90 minutes for a change.what does the bloke has to do to get more playing time?
Siamois, I can only answer you by suggesting that MA was getting Trossard ready and safe for the upcoming Newcastle game.
We had already won the game when he was substituted in my opinion and I’m pretty sure Trossard will be selected for the must win Newcastle game.
Thank you Ken, let’s hope we can finish the season with brave attitude and great football.
Thank you PJ and Didrik – I’m very lucky to have a season ticket, an understanding wife, a daughter who puts me up at her house (she’s also a s/t holder) and I’m still capable of driving driving down from Scotland to the games.
I just wish ALL Arsenal fans could go to the games.
Don’t we all. Unfortunately we can’t all afford it. Season tickets are massively expensive, and things are tight. For people like myself, visits to Anfield and Goodison are the only options, and these days to avoid away fan bans and dedicated away fan allocations for category A matches (supporters club only) you need a sympathetic friend to get you in. When Blackburn were last in the top flight, if you were caught supporting the away side you were ejected and banned. At least Burnley don’t do that.
As such, enjoy the considerable privilege you have. We’d all like to be there and we aren’t all ‘armchair’ fans.
Marge are you a Scouser then ? One day I might let you into a little secret. But it won’t be a secret if I ever tell you what it is. I’ll just say it’s something to do with my name. That probably says it all.
No, london born and bred here. Moved to Merseyside in 94′. As we live on the Wirral, our youngest still isnt ‘scouse’ even though she was born here. Tranmere are our local side, and my son and I went to Prenton Park in his youth. We would still go, but he works alternate day and night shifts and usually over the weekend. However, as Tranmere aren’t likely to be troubling the top flight any time soon, to see Arsenal it’s Anfield or Goodison. 🙂
I won’t give it away, but, as Arsenal fans should, as we have a lot in common, I tend to favour one half of Merseyside. Its 100% likely to be yours too. 😉
ha ha ha, very well deduced Mr Holmes. As a young child I supported Everton (I was given that name by my dad although it has nothing to do with footy, cricket actually) but snapped out of it after Bally left. The name Everton was sometimes used as a Christian (first name) by people from the Caribbean. Brazilians then adopted it more recently. Apparently there are 187,000 Brazilians today whose first name is Everton, and not all of them are men !!! There were at least two Evertons in Brazil’s Copa America squad last time out.
My sister has a friend called Everton. Lovely guy, how he manages to be that way after what he went through as a child (and young adult) God only knows. Guess what? He’s an Arsenal fan. I kid you not…
Marge, didn’t Tranmere nearly get promoted to the Prem a few years ago ? They had a decent team for a couple of years I think. Unfortunately you never get to see us winning in the flesh then. Terrible record on Merseyside in recent times.
I’ve always lived in south London never in the North.
Under Johnny King they nearly made it in 1993. They finished 4,5,5, between 1992 – 95. Swings and roundabouts v the Liverpool clubs tbh. Although our recent record on Merseyside is dire, in the mid Wenger era (and before v Everton) it was good. I’ve never seen us lose at Goodison, hence one of mates (jokingly) wanted to ban me from going! 😄 Against the ugly side of Stanley Park, it’s been a mixed bag. Seen some decent results, but endured some hideous thumpings too.
Marge, just seen this. Time flies, was it that long ago for Tranmere ? I thought it was early this century.
The gobshites in sky blue have just scored again.
Oh I do appreciate my s/t, which by the way, cost me £380.
I am also fully aware that not all fans are “armchair fans” why would you think that?
I had tickets for yesterday’s game but couldn’t travel and sold them to a friend. Usually I travel a few times a year from Norway to the Emirates, but this season I have been occupied with other things. I will definitely travel next season 😉
Didrik I thought you might be German. I was wrong.
No problem m8, I have never been German 😉
Our Chelsea home match tonight at the Ems has been played and is over. More especially as the Gunners have beaten the Blues to put the match behind them. After they have basked in the Euphoria of the match win.
After Arsenal have at home beaten Chelsea tonight and garnered 3 valuable points which enabled them to climb back to the top of the table. And see what will happen next when their arch rivals to the Epl title win this season, Man City play their next match.
But irrespective, the focus for the Gunners now is to focus on their next Newcaste match at away next Sunday night and beat them to qualify for the Ucl next season with 3 games to spare.
Samuel, we are already qualified for UCL. TOP FOUR IS ALREADY CERTAIN.
This ought to be well known. However, the fact that we have qualified for the CL for the first time in years has been completely overlooked by so many. This is clearly down to the generally negative focus of the contributors to the site.
If any Gunner is talking about a CF it should be no other person than Harry Kane he has premier league experience and I think is an arsenal fan.
Just imagine current Arsenal team with Harry Kane on it.
City have haaland why can’t we Arsenal have Harry Kane who can give us 40+ goals a season.
Mikel and Edu should talk to the Kroenkes about this transfer, the should go all out with the price tag of £100million because I sense it will not be below that amount.
Upward we go.
Williamrick, he started out as an Arsenal fan, you’ve probably seen him as a plump young boy in our kit. Unfortunately Liam Brady deemed him to be not athletic enough for us so we let him go. Just one of those things. However, I’d certainly welcome him back, but he’d be too terrified of the Lillywhites fans to dare to return. He is indeed not bad player at all. ha ha.
Well, Pat made the crossing across the styx (seven sisters road) as did Sol, and they received some nasty stick. Sol in particular. I’m sure Kane has broad enough shoulders to take it. 😉😁
It seems more likely though that he’s bound for either side of Manchester or parts Spanish though.
Double though?? My English teacher will be turning in his grave!
Big Pat never got Stick Pat Jennings is perhaps the only exception when it comes to representing both north London rivals, as the former goalkeeper is regarded as a legend at both Arsenal and Tottenham. , Sol did which was disgusting, I remember Pat bursting a ball when he caught it with his shovel hands
Pat got stick every time he went back to whl early on. Even when he didnt play (1980) the spurs fans chanted ‘he’s afraid to face us’. How do I know? I was standing on the shelf when they did. It wasn’t ugly like the abuse Sol received, but it was there. However, as you rightly say, once the shock wore off, Spurs fans got over it and accepted that the guy was indeed a legend. On your point there, he is unique in that he was legend for both North London sides. Still the best I’ve seen for us, as Seaman was great but his weakness cost us (and England) so, so, dear.
I can see why you’d think that though. If you read any articles about Pat they give the impression Spurs fans were all sweetness and light about the move. They were’nt. Funny story.. we went to WHL in 1980 and stood with a Spurs mate in the Shelf. As such we kept our powder dry. It was fascinating to hear the, um, ‘opposite view’. In front of us was an elderly lady and her sons, and blimey she knew swear words I didn’t! When the team was announced, she and her sons laughed and declared ‘that f……. cowards to ashamed to face us’. A refrain taken up by the bulk of the kop with loud jeers and aforementioned chant. Throughout the game they kept up the sweary refrain with Pat coming in for some serious stick. In particular when Spurs keeper made a save. Funny part – towards the end of a poor game, we scored twice, while almost bursting, me and my mates wanted to remain ‘with’ heads, so we kept them. When Spurs pulled one back we politely applauded. Got some funny looks, but no more. At the end the old lady was positively apoplectic. One of my mates though, was slumped over the rail trying desperately to hold in the laughter. She walks up to him, puts her arm round him and says, ‘never mind son, we’ll stuff the bastards next year’…
Am in support of that, he need to come back home after becoming a spurs legend and win himself n us a big trophy maybe champions league or premier league. I believe somewhere some how ARSENAL will still be in his mind. I could read about him telling his father he will be a goalie after releasing him during his young age his mind was still with us he never wanted to go
Do you know what? I’m sick to death of
Gabriel Mag’s histrionics. Why is he such a drama queen? I don’t really trust him at all. Although we weren’t tested much, it should be said that Kiwior was sound. He should do nicely for us.
Kiwior-Saliba combo will be good (if Saliba stays).
Williamrick and EvGunner, maybe Liam “Chippy” Brady can see Harry Kane, apologize for his error of judgement and welcome the prodigal son back to his boyhood Arsenal home?
There aren’t many, if any (outside Haaland) more proven performers than Harry Kane as a productive CF.
Ozzegunner are you down-under at this very moment ? If so I salute you from afar.
Liam has alot to answer for ! Mind you if you saw Harry back then you’d never believe he could ever be a footballer. He looked like the kid who was always the last to be picked in the school playground. He eventually became a swan.
CYOG! We will secure that 2nd position strong!
What a fantastic performance and a perfect response to our mini slump. That said, Odegaard played his heart out and was clearly the MOTM. Great performances by Jesus, Xhaka and Jorginho. A bit worried over the injury to Gabriel hope it is not serious. We have an important match against Newcastle on Sunday and we will need all our main players fit.
I didnt want to watch the game becoz i was not in the mood for another dissapointing evening but when i checked it was 1-0 then i kept watching. If only Zinchenko stopped Trent from making that last cross for the Liverpool equaliser & Saka put away the penalty against Westham we couldve been in very different situation right now
Luckily for us Chelsea couldn’t beat an egg at the moment. It gave us a chance to get back up off the canvas and get a good performance in. Could have done without the last fifteen minutes after recent collapses though. Still, what’s the point in supporting Arsenal if you aren’t ready for a club that constantly makes life harder for themselves than it need be!?
Odegaard is good but not as he is said to be. To be honest Chelsea are just as good as Crystal Palace and Fulham this season. When it has mattered most Odegaard and Xhaka have failed. Unlike guys like Fabregas who consistently gave strong performances against Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus, Roma etc. We need an upgrade on those two if we are to go places. Like Pogba these guys flatter to deceive. They will never be the key player to take a team to the podium.
Simba, I got some stick the other day because I mildly criticized Odegaard. He is good but for him to be really as great as they say he is, he should stop giving the ball away as much as he does. I’m not anti-Odegaard, very much pro-Odegaard.
The most pleasing aspects of the match were the calm assurance displayed by Kwior and the excellent finishing of our Captain.Saka looks to me in need of a rest as he failed to track back Chilwell on at least three occasions and was bailed out by a superb save by Ramsdale.First half was excellent, the least said about the second, and in particular ,Zinchenko’s role in their goal, the better.To play him at LB against a Newcastle side that is flying, is asking for trouble.
So city need to lose 33.33% of their remaining games. Not gonna happen.
Let’s celebrate 2nd place and CL football.
No, If we win our remaining 4 games, City can win 4 out of their remaining 6 games, lose 1 and draw 1. That will make us champions.
Not that I think, it will happen, but stranger things have happened.
Anders, unfortunately I’m rather terrified of Isak at the moment, he’s on fire. We just can not afford playing Zinchenko on Sunday, it will be suicide.
We can break down Magpies defence as good as it is, but there are serious doubts our defence wll cope. Sorry for sounding so weakhearted.