Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea: 3 reasons why Arsenal lost | Premier League 2019-20

London derbies never fail to excite fans. As soon as the kick-off whistle was blown, Arsenal sprung right into the action. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke the deadlock when he scored a header from close range. Although Chelsea pushed hard for an equaliser in the first half, the Gunners stood strong and for the first time in nine matches, they led at half-time. At that moment, many were expecting Mikel Arteta to help himself to the three points in his first game in charge at the Emirates.

After the restart, the visitors emerged stronger. Frank Lampard's substitutions paid off when Chelsea finally overcame Arsenal's defence as Jorginho scored the equaliser in the 83rd minute. To pile even more misery on the Gunners, Tammy Abraham scored the second goal for his side and sealed the result of the fixture. Arsenal's final match of the decade has ended in a defeat and Arteta will have lots of work to do. Here are three reasons why Arsenal lost the London derby.

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#3 Disastrous final 10 minutes from Arsenal

Arsenal v Chelsea - The London Derby 2019-20

The Gunners enjoyed a brilliant start against the Blues. In the first 45 minutes, they ran after every loose ball, emerged victorious from almost every challenge and wasted no time in getting the ball forward. Their efforts paid off 13 minutes into the game when Aubameyang headed in opportunistically from a corner.

However, Chelsea were simply second to none in the final 10 minutes of the match. Bernd Leno was at fault for missing a routine punch of the ball and allowing Jorginho to tap in within the six-yard box. After conceding, nothing went right for the home team. They fell prey to a counterattack from the Blues and gave Abraham the chance to score the winner. After hanging on to their lead for 70 minutes, the final few minutes of the game were absolutely disastrous for the North London side.

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#2 Arsenal were simply the weaker side

Jorginho was lucky to have not been sent off with a second yellow card

Arteta's side were superior in the first 45 minutes. However, players such as Alexandre Lacazette and Reiss Nelson missed multiple chances to increase if not double the lead. This proved costly to the team that is yet to keep a clean sheet since beating Bournemouth in October. In the second half, the Arsenal players lost much of their energy and concentration. The Blues found more and more space for themselves, pressured their opponents and forced them into making mistakes. Ultimately, the Gunners finished the match with a low 79% pass accuracy as compared to Chelsea's 83%. Their possession was a low 42% in the loss to the Blues.

As Lampard's side became increasingly dominant, Arteta's side struggled to get out of their own half and contain Chelsea's attack. To put things into perspective, Arsenal recorded only seven shots, five fewer than their draw with Bournemouth on Boxing Day.

#1 Frank Lampard's vital substitutions

All three substitutions from Lampard worked to his game plan

After going behind in the early stages of the match, Frank Lampard decided to withdraw Emerson in favour of bringing on Jorginho. Eventually, the Italian went on to level the game for his side and dent Arsenal's hopes of getting all three points.

For his second substitution, the former Derby County manager introduced a youngster, Tariq Lamptey. Given that Chelsea were pressing up high and dominating the game, the 19-year-old defender had opportunities to contribute to the attack. During the 31 minutes on the pitch, Lamptey made one key pass and won three out of four duels.

With barely 20 minutes left, Callum Hudson-Odoi made his appearance as the final substitute. The introduction of the 19-year-old troubled Arsenal's defence line and indirectly changed the result of the match. All three substitutions were made with a clear intent from Lampard. The manager knew exactly what he was doing and what he wanted from each player. His tactics paid off and his team deserved to win this hard-fought battle.

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