"They have dirtied their own image" – Frank Leboeuf destroys 3 Chelsea stars for their 'shameful, disgraceful and pitiful' performances at Arsenal

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has slammed three senior Blues players following their 3-1 Premier League defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday (2 May).

The Blues slumped to their sixth straight loss across all competitions against their city rivals last night. Noni Madueke netted a goal in the 65th minute after Martin Odegaard's quickfire first-half brace and Gabriel Jesus' 34th-minute strike.

Speaking on ESPN, Leboeuf expressed his frustration at witnessing Chelsea's fall from grace in the recent past. Lambasting Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta for their sub-par outings against Arsenal, he said:

"The leadership we used to have with names like Dennis Wise, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Marcel Desailly, is no longer there. That is the main problem with this team. Today, they were drowning and you can even see that Thiago Silva didn't react, N'Golo Kante didn't behave like a leader and Azpilicueta was lost as well."

Criticizing the Blues trio's attitude at half-time, Leboeuf added:

"So you have no leaders, they all go into the dressing room at half-time and they just do that [lowers head]: 'Hopefully, the coach doesn't talk to me because I don’t want to be caught.' They all go down together with no reaction. It was shameful, disgraceful and pitiful. On top of dirtying the image of the club, they have dirtied their own image."

Lambasting Silva, Kante and Azpilicueta's lack of personality at Arsenal, Leboeuf concluded:

"They don't realize what they are showing is the worst in the world of football. Everyone can be bad, has been or will be bad, that can happen. But when you show no character, no commitment, no involvement in what you are trying to do, it shows you are unprofessional. They have shown that they don't deserve to wear the Chelsea shirt."

Chelsea are currently 12th in the 2022-23 Premier League table with just 39 points from 33 matches.

Mikel Arteta offers injury update on Arsenal star after Chelsea win

During his post-match press conference, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked whether Gabriel Magalhaes would be fit to face Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Sunday (7 May). He responded:

"I don't know. He had to leave, he wasn't comfortable at all. That's strange from Gabriel because he's a big fighter."

Gabriel, 25, started Arsenal's home contest against Chelsea on Tuesday. However, he was substituted in the 85th minute due to a leg injury. He was replaced by Rob Holding, who partnered Jakub Kiwior in his team's backline.

Gabriel has been in impressive form so far this season. He has netted three goals in 44 appearances.

William Saliba, who has been Gabriel's defensive partner for most of the ongoing 2022-23 campaign, is also set to miss the Gunners' upcoming visit to Newcastle United. The Frenchman has been out with a back problem since mid-March.