Arsenal 5 Chelsea 0
Gunners’ title bid is five alive!
Striker Kai Havertz celebrates scoring Arsenal’s third goal during last night’s Premier League rout of London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates.
Kai Havertz scored twice against his former club as Arsenal tightened their grip on top spot in the Premier League by denting Chelsea's European aspirations with a thumping 5-0 win.
Gunners forward Havertz, who made a £65 million switch from Stamford Bridge last summer, registered two of four second-half goals on a remarkable evening at a jubilant Emirates Stadium.
Defender Ben White also claimed a brace for Mikel Arteta's titlechasing side, adding to Leandro Trossard's early opener, as the Blues' recent resurgence floundered in embarrassing fashion in the absence of key man Cole Palmer, who missed out through illness.
Victory moved Arsenal three points ahead of second-placed Liverpool having now played one game more, while reigning champions Manchester City sit four points behind with two matches in hand.
Outclassed Chelsea squandered a series of chances, with Nicolas Jackson particularly culpable, as they suffered a first defeat in nine top-flight games and missed the chance to climb to seventh.
“I think the early goal helped us and after that we played so well,” said opening scorer Trossard at full-time. “We had a lot of chances and we turned them into goals. It's a great night.
“They say clean sheets help you win games. We know if we score the goal we can win 1-0. But, obviously, we want to go for more. It is the perfect night.” And the perfect start. The Gunners, who suffered a damaging 2-0 loss to Aston Villa in their last home game before exiting the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich, began brightly and led inside four minutes.
Declan Rice was afforded time and space to advance deep into opposition territory before slipping in Trossard to escape Gilchrist and fire a low left-footed shot from a tight angle which was allowed to squirm home by Blues goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
There were chances at both ends during the rest of a pulsating first half. Jackson inexplicably handled a golden headed chance from Conor Gallagher's cross just before the break as the opening 45 ended with a flurry of yellow cards, including one for Arteta.
The Arsenal boss would have been keen for his side to kill off the contest as quickly as possible in the second period – and duly got his wish.
Following a short corner between Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, Rice was denied by the leg of Gallagher, only for the unmarked White to sweep in the loose ball.
The result was put beyond doubt just five minutes later, with the identity of the goalscorer particularly painful for the travelling fans. Havertz, who scored Chelsea's winner in the 2021 Champions League final, was superbly released by Odegaard and held off Marc Cucurella to lift the ball over Petrovic.
Jackson's wasteful evening continued as he hit the sidenetting with only David Raya to beat before Arsenal piled on the misery for former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Havertz doubled his tally in the 65th minute by firing home via the right post after receiving the ball from Saka.
White replicated the Germany international's achievement only five minutes later when his attempted volley across goal from Odegaard's dinked pass inadvertently flew into the top left corner to cap a woeful outing for Chelsea.