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A much-improved performance saw Arsenal put an end to their winless run in the Premier League on Saturday, as they ran out 3-1 winners against local rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The home side withstood early pressure from the visitors in the first half before Alexandre Lacazette’s 34th-minute penalty broke the deadlock. The Frenchman's goal was added to by a fantastic free-kick from Granit Xhaka just before half time to send the Gunners into the break with a 2-0 lead.
Bukayo Saka then added a third for the home side in the 56th minute with a fortuitous cross-turned-shot. His effort looped over Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea goal as the Gunners looked to be out of sight before the hour mark.
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Tammy Abraham’s 85th-minute goal was the catalyst for a nervy finish that saw Bernd Leno save a penalty from Jorginho in stoppage time. However, Arsenal closed out the game to claim three vital points.
Arsenal’s win saw them move up one place to 14th in the table as it stands. Meanwhile, it condemned Chelsea to their third defeat in four games, with the Blues currently in sixth.
And so, as Arsenal claimed the three points and bragging rights in the London derby. Here are the five major talking points from an exciting game at the Emirates.
#5 Arsenal struck by pre-match illness blows
Coming into this game without a Premier League win in nearly two months, Arsenal’s pre-match preparation took another hit. Three first-team players dropped out of the matchday squad due to illness.
First-choice centre-back Gabriel was forced to self-isolate after coming into close contact with a person who was found be to COVID-19 positive. Meanwhile, former Chelsea duo David Luiz and Willian were unwell but had recently tested negative for the virus.
With the Brazilian trio, all of whom had been regular starters this season, out of the picture, Mikel Arteta was forced to make eight changes from the midweek loss to Manchester City. These including recalls for the likes of Pablo Mari and Xhaka, who was back from a three-match suspension for Arsenal.
Additionally, star striker and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was only fit enough for a place on the Arsenal bench after missing the last couple of fixtures with a calf injury.
In contrast, Chelsea had no new injury or illness concerns to contend with. Lampard even named Ben Chilwell in the starting lineup after the left-back went off 10 minutes into their 3-0 win over West Ham last weekend.
#4 Chelsea’s new attackers continue to struggle
After an extremely busy summer transfer window, Chelsea welcomed a whole host of new faces into their ranks as Frank Lampard looks to take his side to the next level.
Unfortunately for Lampard and Chelsea, it is only their defensive signings that have made a positive impact on the side recently. Their new attackers continued to struggle to come to terms with the physicality of the Premier League against Arsenal.
Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva consistently impress in goal and defense respectively, but the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and Hakim Ziyech are yet to really come into their own.
While Ziyech has struggled with injury since making the move to London, the high-scoring German duo of Werner and Havertz have struggled to find their shooting boots in the league.
Against Arsenal, Werner started on the left-wing for Chelsea and struggled to form a partnership with Tammy Abraham, with the duo failing to find each other on multiple occasions.
In addition to misplaced passes and poor touches in front of goal, Werner’s performance also featured wayward shooting. Meanwhile, Havertz had to make do with a place on the bench for the second Premier League game running and made little impact after he was brought on.
#3 Arsenal’s youth rises to the occasion
With Arsenal’s strikers struggling to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season, the lack of a creative attacking midfielder capable of creating scoring opportunities for them has been more pronounced than ever.
Mesut Ozil is seemingly frozen out of the squad completely and the new signing Willian is failing to make an impact in the role. Therefore, it was Emile Smith Rowe who was allowed to play in the number 10 role for Arsenal on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Englishman was joined in an extremely youthful attacking trio by 19-year-old pair Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, with Mikel Arteta’s options somewhat limited by injury and illness.
As it turned out, going with youth paid off handsomely for Arsenal. Their young attackers showed great energy and desire on the pitch, hurrying and harrying the Chelsea defense and forcing them into committing mistakes.
In fact, after Saka drew the foul that led to Arsenal’s second goal, he was set up for the third by Smith Rowe as the youngsters reaped rewards for their untiring efforts in the attacking third.
And so, with games coming thick and fast across all competitions, Mikel Arteta can take heart from the fact that he can count on his side's young guns to rise to the occasion when needed.
#2 Away form now a real concern for Frank Lampard
After showing encouraging away form at the start of the season, Chelsea’s performances on the road seem to have dipped dramatically in recent weeks.
This emphatic loss against Arsenal marked Chelsea’s third straight defeat on the road, coming after away losses against Everton and Wolves.
Even more worryingly for Frank Lampard, his side has struggled to find the net away from home during this time, despite playing a lot of excellent passing football.
In fact, even though they have struck the woodwork on a few occasions in these games, there has been a startling lack of shots on target for the Blues. It is surely an area they will be looking to address going forward if they are to mount a serious title challenge this season.
#1 Arsenal defense in need of serious reorganization
Although the much-improved performance against their local rivals will give the Arsenal faithful much to cheer about over the festive period, their defensive worries remain unaddressed.
Having succeeded in keeping the Chelsea attackers at bay for most of the game, Arsenal were good value for the 3-0 lead they had racked up before the hour mark and maintained going into the final few minutes.
However, after non-stop pressure, the Blues pulled one back in the 85th minute. The Arsenal defense then seemed to buckle significantly under pressure as they allowed their opponents a glimmer of hope.
And, as Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute after Pablo Mari’s clumsy tackle on Mason Mount, the momentum was well and truly on the side of the visitors as they searched desperately to get back on level terms.
As it turned out, Jorginho’s tame spot-kick was saved by Bernd Leno to save Mari’s blushes and calm a few nerves in the Arsenal camp. The Gunners then saw the game out and claimed three crucial points.
As such, while Mikel Arteta and his men are to be commended for raising their game for this crunch encounter, they would do well to pay heed to the warning signs and place an increased emphasis on defensive solidity going forward.
