LONDON: Martin Odegaard fired Arsenal again to the highest of the Premier League (EPL) because the Norway midfielder’s double impressed a 3-1 win towards woeful Chelsea on Tuesday. Mikel Arteta’s facet misplaced keep an eye on of the name race after final week’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester Town. However the Gunners signaled their purpose to push Town the entire technique to the twine with a much-needed first win in 5 video games. Odegaard’s brace was once adopted by means of a Gabriel Jesus strike because the hosts raced right into a three-goal prior to half-time on the Emirates Stadium.
Noni Madueke’s 2d half of target was once no comfort for Chelsea’s wretched efficiency. Arsenal at the moment are two issues transparent of 2d positioned Town and whilst Pep Guardiola’s males stay favorites to win the name, the north Londoners have no less than implemented a bit of drive at the champions. Town will return into first position in the event that they beat West Ham at house on Wednesday within the first in their two video games in hand on Arsenal. “The primary 60 mins, I assumed we performed truly neatly. That was once the whole thing I wish to see from our crew,” Arteta mentioned.
“Pace, high quality, motion, two stunning objectives, we hooked up with our crowd and created an out of this world environment. “We would have liked to earn the correct to be most sensible of the league. We’re satisfied to be there.” After 10 weeks on the most sensible, Arsenal had been knocked right down to 2d position by means of Town’s win at Fulham on Sunday. 3 successive attracts, together with two blown two-goal leads, and the calamitous loss at Town have led Arsenal to be written off as name race chokers. However Arteta insisted this week that the name was once nonetheless winnable and his gamers replied to the Spaniard’s rallying cry.
Stricken Chelsea had been ideally suited combatants for Arsenal to get again on target prior to a tough go back and forth to Newcastle on Sunday. The Blues have now misplaced all six video games since Frank Lampard returned as caretaker boss to exchange the sacked Graham Potter. Languishing in twelfth position, Chelsea are on an nine-game winless run in all competitions and face the possibility of failing to complete within the most sensible half of of the desk for the primary time since 1996. “We had been too great to play towards in all sides within the first half of. Now not excellent sufficient,” Lampard mentioned. “It’s difficult as a result of you need to win video games, however it’s our process, we’ll paintings on it.”
Rampant Arsenal
Former Arsenal ahead Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made his first Chelsea get started because the Blues misplaced 1-0 to the Gunners in November. However Aubameyang, whose four-year spell with Arsenal ended acrimoniously in 2022, by no means had an opportunity of exacting revenge on his outdated crew prior to being hauled off at half-time. Arsenal had been in entire keep an eye on from the beginning and Odegaard gave them a deserved lead within the 18th minute. Left in acres of area, Granit Xhaka’s low go eluded Chelsea’s lackadaisical defenders and Odegaard guided a excellent curling end previous Kepa Arrizabalaga from simply within the penalty house.
Ben Chilwell threatened a Chelsea equalizer, however Aaron Ramsdale made a advantageous save to keep the lead.
That near-miss was once a false daybreak for abysmal Chelsea because the Gunners grew to become the screw with a 2d target within the thirty first minute. As soon as once more, Chelsea allowed Xhaka time to go into the realm and Odegaard took complete good thing about slack marking from Raheem Sterling to fireside previous Kepa from 12 yards. Arsenal scented blood towards spineless, disinterested combatants and the 3rd target duly arrived 3 mins later.
Ben White’s go was once chested down by means of Jesus and when Xhaka’s shot was once blocked, it was once Jesus who stabbed house from close-range. Arsenal had been rampant and Thiago Silva hooked Gabriel’s header off the road, whilst Kepa stored from Xhaka and Bukayo Saka. Chelsea woke up from their shut eye simply lengthy sufficient to scale back the deficit within the sixty fifth minute. Mateo Kovacic’s defense-splitting go discovered Madueke and he deftly slotted previous Ramsdale for his first league target since signing from PSV Eindhoven in January. — AFP