Cool Ed has Gunners back on right track
NKETIAH SINKS BLUES
ARSENAL made their biggest statement of intent yet that they might just be ready for Champions League football again.
All season, Mikel Arteta’s side had failed to register the sort of standout victory against one of the big sides to make their hunt for a topfour place seem credible.
This, finally, was it, in a game which defied expectations from the start.
Since the day he arrived in England, Blues manager Thomas Tuchel has built his own success on an impregnable defence – a plan Arteta has tried to copy.
But as the waves of forward players from both sides swept back and forth across west London, it was as though defending had gone out of fashion.
Arsenal were gifted the lead in the 13th minute when, from a long punt forward, Andreas Christensen’s attempt to roll the ball back 50 yards to his goalkeeper fell about 30 short and Eddie Nketiah nipped in to do the rest. The lead lasted just four minutes, however, as Timo Werner scuffed a shot from the corner of the penalty area, which bobbled off Granit Xhaka’s heel and beat Aaron Ramsdale at his near post.
Arsenal fans had their heads in their hands when 10 minutes later Rob Holding kicked the ball virtually out of his goalkeeper’s hands. But fear not, it started an instant breakaway move which ended with Emile Smith Rowe imperiously sliding the ball inside the post at the other end.
But Cesar Azpilicueta diverted in a more conventional goal at the near post from Mason Mount’s inswinging pass just before the break.
Tuchel ditched Christensen for Thiago Silva at half-time. But it was more of the same in the 57th minute as Malang Sarr twice failed to clear the ball before Nketiah toepoked it into the net. Romelu Lukaku was in a two-horse race for fewest touches in the game with Ramsdale. He was replaced on the hour by Kai Havertz. If anything, Arsenal began to look like they believed they were worth their lead and continued to press the harder for another goal.
The penalty decision for Arsenal’s fourth was bizarre because the challenge came nowhere near the ball – Azpilicueta holding Bukayo Saka as the ball was played in behind the pair of them.
Then Saka himself stepped up to score. Could that giant 4 by their name on the final scoreboard be an omen?
CHELSEA (3-4-3): Mendy 6; Azpilicueta 5, Christensen 4 (Silva 46, 6), Sarr 5; James 6, Loftus-Cheek 7, Kante 7, Alonso 7 (Ziyech 81); Mount 7, Lukaku 4 (Havertz 60), Werner 7. Goals: Werner 17, Azpilicueta 32.
ARSENAL (3-4-3): Ramsdale 6; White 7, Holding 6, Gabriel 6; Saka 6 (Lacazette 90), Elneny 6, Xhaka 7, Tavares 6; Odegaard 6, Nketiah 8 (Martinelli 70), Smith Rowe 7 (Soares 75). Goals: Nketiah 13, 57, Smith Rowe 27, Saka 90 pen.