Arteta’s tough baptism continued as Leno’s mistakes gifted win to Blues

WELCOME to the harsh and brutal realities of management.

This was as tough as it can get for new Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who saw glory turn to despair in the space of four heartbreaking minutes at the Emirates. Chelsea’s last-gasp comeback was inspired by manager Frank Lampard and started by a howler from Gunners keeper Bernd Leno.

The reversal of fortune left Arsenal’s players on their knees at the final whistle, while match winner Tammy Abraham sank to the floor and prayed to the heavens.

The margins were incredibly fine but, ultimately, the result was all that mattered and undid so much of the Gunners’ good work, as Arteta at least restored some much needed energy and passion in his first home game in charge.

Arteta will count the hard luck stories given Jorginho should not have even been on the pitch to score the equaliser, referee Craig Pawson losing his nerve when it came to showing the most obvious second yellow card you are ever likely to see.

But that should not disguise the fact that Lampard also pulled off a managerial masterstroke as he showed his ruthless streak by making substitutions ahead of the interval to stem the tide, before leaving Arsenal hanging on for dear life. Chelsea strengthened their position in the top four, the Gunners are stuck in the bottom half of the table.

Lampard looks upwardly mobile again while Arteta has a huge task on his hand with huge holes in a squad that needs fixing. There is no time