GUNNERS’ TRUE GRIT
Arteta sees signs of life at last as Blues are put to the sword
THIS was supposed to be a requiem for Mikel Arteta. This was supposed to be a dirge commemorating another stage in Arsenal’s plunge towards the grim indignity of an all-out relegation battle, a fresh assessment of just how far they have fallen.
Instead, as high-flying Chelsea anticipated making the pain of their London rivals even worse, Arsenal turned to youth and surprised everyone with a song of defiance and rebirth.
In an Arsenal season that has been characterised by disillusion with established stars like Willian, David Luiz, Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, this 3-1 win felt like a transformative moment when Arteta put his faith in the kids.
And the kids responded. Bukayo Saka, who scored the third goal, was probably the pick of the emerging stars but Emile Smith-Rowe, Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli lent this performance a sense of optimism and hope that Arsenal have not felt for a long time.
And because this is football and because football is theatre, even if their young stars set the tone for their victory, one of the heroes of Arsenal’s salvation was a renegade angel who is the fans’ favoured target for abuse.
When Xhaka was sent off during the home defeat to Burnley two weeks ago, many Arsenal supporters demanded he never play for the club again but he scored a quite stunning free-kick to put Arsenal two up here. For one night, and perhaps one night only, the fans will be glad they were ignored.
The victory moved Arsenal one place further up the table, above Leeds, into 14th place, but the longterm effect this victory has on the club’s morale, and their season, should be immeasurably more important.
Most obviously, it lifted the immediate pressure on Arteta, who was running out of time to save his job, and if he acts on the evidence he saw against Chelsea, he will trust more in his young players.
For Chelsea, this was a rude shock. They went into the game eyeing second place, not a humbling at the hands of a club in crisis. Their performance will have worried Lampard because so many of his players were flat and anonymous. Arsenal were vulnerable going into the match but Chelsea were outfought by a team which looked as if it wanted to win more.
Perhaps it was just a reality check for Lampard’s side. He has never made any boasts about what he expects from them this season and this performance suggested that any suggestions they are ready to challenge for the title are fanciful.
They are simply not consistent enough.
Lampard took Timo
Werner off at half-time and the Germany striker is one of a few players struggling to find their best form. The defeat left them below Aston Villa, in sixth.
Arsenal took the lead on 34 minutes after Tierney was upended by Reece James and referee
Michael Oliver pointed to the spot. Lacazette covnverted. Arsenal went further ahead on the stroke of half-time. Saka was brought down by N’Golo Kante on the edge of the area and Xhaka curled a stunning free- kick high into the net. Eleven minutes after half-time, Arsenal put the game beyond doubt with a third, Saka drifting a chip — that might have been intended as a cross — in off the far post.
Tammy Abraham pulled one back from close range with five minutes left. Pablo Mari then brought down Mason Mount but Leno saved substitute Jorginho’s unconvincing penalty.
Tierney said afterwards: ‘We needed that today, to give the fans something to be positive about. We have had a few bad results this season, so it is a start.’
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno; Holding, Mari, Tierney, Bellerin; Elneny, Xhaka; Saka, Smith-Rowe (Willock 65), Lacazette (Mustafi 90+2); Martinelli
(Pepe 71). Subs (not used): Ceballos, Runarsson, Aubameyang, Maitland-Niles, Cedric, Nketiah.
Booked: Mari, Tierney.
CHELSEA (4-2-2-2): Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Kante (Havertz 74), Kovacic (Jorginho 46); Mount, Pulisic; Abraham, Werner (Hudson-Odoi 46). Subs (not used): Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, Giroud, Gilmour, Azpilicueta, Emerson.
Booked: Silva.
Referee: Michael Oliver.