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Chelsea hosted rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. The home team secured a convincing victory against Huddersfield Town last weekend. On the other hand, things were not so rosy on Unai Emery's first Premier League match in charge.
The Gunners faced Manchester City at the Emirates. The team lost Ainsley Maitland-Niles due to a small leg fracture, and were unable to find the net.
Chelsea lost Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid, but in turn they signed the world's most expensive goalkeeper. Emery continued to experiment for his strongest starting eleven as he brought in Alex Iwobi and Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal looked all over the place and were nervy. The Gunners seemed unsure of their positions and could not keep possession. Chelsea dominated the match easily and picked up all the loose balls. Thereafter, they quickly transitioned to attack and delivered the balls accurately for each other. Chelsea doubled the lead after Aubameyang missed a golden opportunity to equalize.
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No Arsenal player seemed confident with regards their style of play. They missed great chances and were unable to exert much pressure on The Blues. All of a sudden, Arsenal seemed stronger after pulling one back and scoring the equalizer to bring things to 2-2 at halftime. The Gunners had many more chances but either failed to keep it down or sent shots wide.
Eden Hazard came on as a substitute and had a great impact on the match. He provided the assist for Alonso to score his side's third goal. Both sides have plenty to work on under their new managers. Here was how each player performed in the match.
Chelsea players ratings
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6.5/10
He could not do anything about Mkhitaryan's goal as his shot was slammed straight down the corner of the goal. Brave goalkeeping from him in the 76th minute as he lost control of the ball and quickly ran for it.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
Azpilicueta delivered a great ball to his team-mate, contributing to one of Chelsea's goal. Unfortunately, he couldn't restrict Mkhitaryan's run, and gave the Arsenal man space to roam. In terms of contributing to the attack, he delivered some pretty accurate long balls and crosses in both halves.
Antonio Rudiger: 6/10
As his team conceded, Rudiger became disappointed with the rest of the back-line, and their lack of cohesion. He stayed at the back all the time to protect his keeper, but Arsenal rarely threatened on the counter.
David Luiz: 6.5/10
He featured for Chelsea once again despite not earning favor under Antonio Conte. Luiz tried a long range shot in the opening minutes, but missed the target. He took the free-kick in a dangerous position for his side, but it was comfortably dealt with by Cech.
Marcos Alonso: 7.5/10
Alonso was very engaged in all of Chelsea's attack. He was constantly on the move and found himself in great positions to contribute. With ten minutes to the end, Alonso scored his side's third goal.
Jorginho: 6.5/10
Jorginho seemed very confident in his play and showed great vision. He lost some influence towards the end of the first 45 minutes, and also in the second half. The limelight fell on Hazard after the Belgian came on. Jorginho took on a back role
N'Golo Kante: 7/10
Kante did exactly what he had to and what he was best at. Throughout the game, he picked up the loose balls for his team and delivered to his team-mates.
Ross Barkley: 6.5/10
He displayed wonderful skills to get away from the Arsenal players in the second half. Considering he didn't play much last season, it is great to see him on the pitch again and excelling in the midfield.
Willian: 7/10
The Brazilian was well aware of where the ball was. Whenever the ball was delivered forward, he would chase after it and give the Arsenal defenders a headache.
Pedro: 7.5/10
Pedro scored the opener after a long ball was delivered to Alonso. All he had to do was await Alonso's cross and score from his position. Throughout the match, he was actively involved in the attack. It looks like he is forming a great bond with Willian and Morata.
Alvaro Morata: 7.5/10
After the shocking miss from Aubameyang, Morata scored his first of the season. He controlled the ball well and finished it with ease. Unlike his first season in London, Morata is now more confident in himself. It was an encouraging display from the striker.
Substitutes
Eden Hazard: 7.5/10
At his very best - his footwork was nice and tidy. Hazard sparkled whenever he had the ball, and created many chances for his side. The Belgian provided an assist for Alonso who scored the third goal for Chelsea.
Mateo Kovacic: 7/10
He is certainly a great loan signing. Kovacic displayed strong midfield play and worked well alongside Jorginho and Hazard.
Olivier Giroud: 6/10
Coming on, he established himself as a threat in the box when it came to crosses and high balls delivered in.
Arsenal players ratings
Petr Cech: 7.5/10
Cech could not do much about the goals from Pedro and Morata as the defence let him down once again. The experienced keeper made a few great saves to keep the scoreline at 3-2. If not for him, Chelsea could have scored more.
Hector Bellerin: 6.5/10
Bellerin was caught out of position for the opening goal, and to make things worse - Mkhitaryan provided little help. Gradually he became more focused and knew his responsibilities.
Sokratis: 6/10
He showed his tough side by keeping Morata at bay in the opening minutes. Sokratis and Mustafi both had difficulty following the dangerous runs of the fast Chelsea forwards. Lots of work has to be done in training after the game. Towards the end, he was exhausted and thoroughly overpowered by Chelsea's forwards.
Shkodran Mustafi: 6/10
As usual, the defenders including Mustafi himself lacked understanding and communication. Long balls were delivered into Arsenal's half and the defenders simply could not deal with them. Things seemed better after the break, and he showed some positive signs of good defending.
Nacho Monreal: 7/10
Monreal provided great runs down the left flank. He continues to prove that he should be the first-choice left back for Arsenal. Although it is his first match after returning from the World Cup, Monreal did well to help out the center-backs and ensure his side does not continue conceding.
Granit Xhaka: 5/10
A rash tackle caused him to receive an early booking in the match. He was frustrated with how the midfield has not worked well, and his understanding with Guendouzi just does not seem to work.
Matteo Guendouzi: 6.5/10
Although he is a talented young player, he and Xhaka seemed unable to work well together as a pair. Guendouzi still has much to learn. When he played alongside Torreira, both were on the same page and covered each other well. He performed much better and with more confidence in the second 45 minutes.
Alex Iwobi: 7/10
All thanks to him, Arsenal equalised 2-2 with Chelsea in the 41st minute. He displayed some good qualities in the midfield. After the break, the defenders were able to restrain his runs, and this kept Iwobi quiet.
Mesut Ozil: 5.5/10
Ozil performed better than he did against Manchester City. He seemed more involved in the action. However, it was not an eye-catching performance from him. Eventually he was replaced by Aaron Ramsey.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 7/10
He was left to defend Alonso as Bellerin moved forward. Unfortunately, the Armenian had no clue what he had to do to stop the Chelsea man. As Arsenal had their third chance, Mkhitaryan failed to hit the target. Atoning for his miss, he scored Arsenal's first goal under Emery. Over time, he became much more disciplined and settled in the game.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6/10
No one could believe how this terrific goalscorer failed to equalize in the 19th minute. Towards the end of the first half, he missed a great chance to put Arsenal 3-2 up. At the end of the match, Aubameyang still could not find the net.
Substitutes
Lucas Torreira: 7/10
He made a huge difference upon coming on. Torreira made crucial interceptions to stop Chelsea's play. He tidied up the loose balls from Arsenal as Chelsea exerted pressure. The Uruguayan international could have done better in preventing Alonso from scoring.
Aaron Ramsey: 5.5/10
Ramsey did little as compared to Hazard. He failed to get the ball as much as he would have liked, and could not do much without it.
Alexandre Lacazette: 5/10
His misplaced pass to the back allowed Chelsea regain possession and take the lead with ten minutes to go.
