"That guy is a fraud", "Bad from the first minute" - Chelsea fans rip into star for 'dreadful' performance in 3-1 loss to Arsenal

Chelsea fans ripped apart Raheem Sterling for his lackluster display during the 3-1 Premier League defeat at Arsenal. Frank Lampard's team suffered their sixth consecutive defeat across competitions as their free fall continued.

Martin Odegaard scored a brace before Gabriel Jesus made it 3-0 in the first half. While Noni Madueke plled one back, his strike proved to be a mere consolation. Sterling, though, bore the brunt of criticism for his performance. During the 71 minutes he was on the pitch, the Englishman completed only 14 passes. He made no crosses, completed no dribbles and took no shots on target.

Sterling also lost possession 13 times. Overall, it was a lackluster display from the former Liverpool star, so fans lambasted him for his performance. One wrote on Twitter:

"That guy is a fraud."

Another chimed in:

"Dreadful. So so bad tonight from the first minute."

The Gunners have moved back to the top of the standings courtesy with their first league win in five games. They have 78 points from 34 games and hold a two-point lead over Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have 39 points from 33 games and slipped to 12th place. Their season keeps getting from bad to worse, and frustrated fans pointed their fingers at Sterling.

Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after Sterling's performance in the Arsenal-Chelsea game:

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Kai Havertz recently opened up on Chelsea's dismal season

Before the start of the season, few could have imagined that Chelsea would be in the position they're in now. They have underperformed massively this term. Ahead of the Arsenal game, Kai Havertz spoke about the club's situation.

The Blues went through a lot this season. Thomas Tuchel was unexpectedly sacked at the start of the campaign. While the new owners spent a massive amount of money to strengthen the team, the performances on the pitch haven't reflected that.

Havertz said about the same (via A Stamford Bridge Too Far):

“Everything that could go wrong went wrong for us this year. The season actually started relatively quietly even though we had a change of ownership, which was a big change for the whole club.”

He added:

“And then Thomas Tuchel was fired, which, of course, always makes a big difference in a team like this when you’ve been successful with a coach, and then he gets fired out of nowhere.”

Mauricio Pochettino looks set to be appointed the new permanent manager at the start of next season. Whether that brings about a change in the team's fortune remains to be seen, though.