Arsenal were back to their very best on Tuesday, as Mikel Arteta’s side made light work of London rivals Chelsea in a 5-0 victory at Emirates Stadium.
The victory sends the Gunners (77 points) four points clear of three-time defending Premier League champions Manchester City, who have now played two fewer games and still have six remaining. The five-goal margin of victory was perhaps significant, as Arsenal now lead the all-important tiebreaker by 12 goals. Man City win the title if they win out, but one draw while Arsenal win out would (likely) mean the ribbons are red and white at season’s end.
After suffering back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich last Sunday and Wednesday, Arsenal have since responded with two wins (and two clean sheets) in the span of four days to revive those title hopes just under a month from Championship Sunday.
Chelsea crumble in 2nd half as each Arsenal goal seemingly easier than the last
It takes a whole team effort for Chelsea to lose 5-0, and everyone in blue undeniably did their part in this one. There were signs of life as Chelsea created a few chances midway through the first half when Mauricio Pochettino’s side was still only 1-0 down (Leandro Trossard in the 4th minute), but once the second goal went in, it was quitting time for the lads.
Ben White made it 2-0 in the 52nd; it was 3-0 by the 57th and 4-0 in the 65th (both from Kai Havertz, against his former team); and White scored the Accidental Goal of the Season in the 70th. From 1-0, to 5-0, in 18 minutes. Each time Chelsea lost the ball, all it took was one or two passes to split the defense open and walk the ball into the penalty area (all five goals scored from 12 yards or in). Pochettino was forced to change three of four defenders from the FA Cup semifinal on Saturday, with Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto all ruled out by injuries.
On the flip side, Arsenal more than played their part in the result as well. Martin Odegaard delivered one of the passes of the season to set up goal no. 3, restoring a bit of the lost swagger and proving emphatically that the Gunners are still standing for one last go at the PL title. Anytime you out-shoot a squad that costs roughly $1.2 billion to assemble, by a margin of 26-7, it was a day you can be proud of.
What’s next?
Arsenal will continue their title chase in the north London derby on Sunday (9 am ET), when they visit nearby rivals and top-four hopefuls Tottenham. Chelsea will take on the other half of the top-four race, Aston Villa, at Villa Park on Saturday (3 pm ET).
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