Arsenal dominate Chelsea and return ahead of City

2023-05-02 23:01:02

By Martin Kennell

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Gabriel Jesus, scorer against Chelsea. DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS

Thanks to its big victory against Chelsea (3-1), Arsenal temporarily regains its place as Premier League leader ahead of Manchester City.

Arsenal, King of London. After four consecutive games without a win, the Gunners find success with this clear victory against Chelsea. Arsenal regain the lead in the league, two points clear of Manchester City, who are two games behind.

9 p.m., start of a great season at the Emirates. In the first minutes of the match, the debates were quite balanced and Chelsea showed good results. But very quickly, Arsenal took over. Xhaka got the first chance of the game after an error from Azpilicueta. The Swiss anticipated the back pass from the Spaniard but Kepa intervened (5^e, 0-0). Subsequently, the possession streaks multiplied for Arteta’s men. The doorman of the Blues is still illustrated on a header from Saka (15^e, 0-0). However, Kepa could do nothing about Odegaard’s superb opener. Gabriel Jesus shifts Xhaka on the left which masks his center well back for the Norwegian. The strike of the captain of the Gunners hits the bar before returning, sublime (18^e, 1-0). Chelsea distinguished themselves once on a fine shot from Chilwell, deflected for a corner by Ramsdale (25^e, 1-0). A weak light, before completely sinking. Half an hour into the game, Odegaard scored twice on a new serve from Xhaka for a cut-and-paste of the first goal (31^e, 2-0). Barely time to breathe, it was Gabriel Jesus’ turn to go with his little pawn after a small mess in the defense of the Blues (34^e, 3-0). 3-0 at the break, clean and flawless.

Arsenal lose their cool, but find victory

Upon returning from the locker room, Lampard had already to try something. Aubameyang, the former Gunner, is replaced by Havertz. However, it was once again Arsenal who proved to be dangerous. It took a good Thiago Silva to clear the ball on his own line, after a header from Gabriel (51^e, 3-0). A few seconds later, it was Xhaka’s turn to shine after a magnificent little bridge over the Frenchman Fofana, before the intervention of Kepa (53^e, 3-0). Shortly after the hour mark, Chelsea saw a small light with Madueke’s score reduction. The Englishman took advantage of a sublime pass from Kovacic behind Zinchenko’s back to score his first goal with the Blues (65^e, 3-1). As often for some time, Arsenal struggled to control the end of the game. The Gunners got tense and lost the thread of the match, without conceding a lot of chances.

This victory allows Arsenal to regain the lead in the championship while waiting for Manchester City’s two late games. On May 7, Arteta’s men will travel to Newcastle, current third in the Premier League.