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Arsenal secured a dominant 5-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Tuesday, April 23.
Arsenal made a fantastic start to the contest and played with great tempo as they looked to break Chelsea down early on. Thomas Partey's inclusion in the starting lineup meant the Gunners were quicker out of the blocks, allowing them to cover majority of the pitch with great pace. Their first goal came after just four minutes, following a lovely pass by Thomas Partey to kick-start the move.
Declan Rice then played the final ball towards Leandro Trossard after a darting run, with the Belgian applying a calm finish from a narrow angle to beat Dorde Petrovic. Chelsea looked clueless for the better part of the first half as Arsenal ran rings around their defense. Trossard was aided by Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka as the trio did well with the ball at their feet and carried it into dangerous areas.
The Gunners attempted 13 first-half shots but were on target just thrice as they were unable to extend their lead. Chelsea came close to scoring as they hit the post via Nicolas Jackson, who was otherwise kept quiet. The hosts led 1-0 at the break.
Arsenal's positive approach to the game trickled into the second half as they pushed forward with numbers, with Chelsea deep in their own half. Their second goal came from a well-worked set piece as Odegaard and Saka took a short corner, before laying the ball off to Declan Rice. His effort was parried by Petrovic and fell kindly to Benjamin White, who scored from close-range to make it 2-0.
The hosts' third goal came from former Chelsea man Kai Havertz as they built-up with lovely, patient passing. Martin Odegaard delivered a final ball that split the Blues' defense in half, with Havertz running in behind and smashing the ball into the goal to make it 3-0 after 57 minutes.
Arsenal's fourth goal came after a well-worked move, with Bukayo Saka showing some quick footwork to make space on the right flank, before picking out Havertz. The German tucked the ball into the bottom-right corner to leave Petrovic wrong-footed. The hosts' fifth goal was a thing of beauty as Odegaard played a chipped pass towards White, who volleyed it in with a cushioned shot into the net.
Chelsea had no response left as the Gunners saw out the rest of the match to secure a huge result. Arteta's men (77 pts) are now three points clear at the top of the Premier League. On that note, let's take a look at their player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya - 7/10
Raya played well but did not have any saves to make in the first period, and made one regulation save in the second period.
Benjamin White - 9.5/10
White made several unmarked overlapping runs and created opportunities for Arsenal to attempt shots. As a result, he arrived in goalscoring positions several times and scored two lovely goals. White also won six duels and made one tackle, and was booked for a foul in the second half.
William Saliba - 7/10
Saliba had a good game in defense barring a couple of nervy moments in the first half. He made two interceptions, one clearances and one block.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 7/10
Gabriel made a solid start to the game and did well to mitigate the threat posed by Jackson. He won three duels, made seven clearances, three tackles and two interceptions.
Takehiro Tomiyasu - 7/10
Tomiyasu made a solid start to the game in defence and kept the left flank tight.
Thomas Partey - 7.5/10
Partey's inclusion in the XI gave Arsenal more impetus in attack as they looked quicker. He played two key passes and won three duels.
Declan Rice - 8/10
Rice made some great darting runs forward, with the very first one resulting in Arsenal's first goal which he assisted. He also won seven duels.
Martin Odegaard - 9.5/10
Odegaard made a good start to the game and distributed the ball with urgency and precision. He passed the ball with 88% accuracy, including eight key passes, of which two were assists. He also won eight duels.
Bukayo Saka - 8/10
Saka was direct and made some great runs into Chelsea's 18-yard box. He completed two dribbles past players and played five key passes, including an assist for Arsenal's fourth goal.
Kai Havertz - 8.5/10
Havertz was slightly indecisive in the final third in the first period. However, he made up for his rusty first-half with a thumping goal in the 57th minute. He grabbed Arsenal's fourth goal as well.
Leandro Trossard - 8/10
Trossard made a lovely start to the game and put Arsenal ahead after just four minutes. However, that was his only shot on target, with the other four attempts going wide.
Substitutes
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7/10
The Ukrainian came on in the second half and passed the ball with 93% accuracy to maintain Arsenal's tempo.
Jorginho - 7/10
Another player brought on to secure possession, Jorginho put in a good cameo.
Gabriel Martinelli - 6.5/10
He had a couple of chances to test the goalkeeper but lacked sharpness, which luckily did not cost Arsenal with their comfortable lead.
Gabriel Jesus - 6/10
Jesus came on in the second half and failed to make an impact against Chelsea.
Fabio Vieira - 6/10
Vieira replaced Saka in the 82nd minute but looked out of place out wide.
