Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Gunners’ run riot after White and Havertz goals
Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea: Kai Havertz and Ben White both scored twice as the Gunners go three points clear at the top of the table
Arsenal moved three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table with a blistering 5-0 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s men dominated from the get-go but couldn’t make full use of a first 45 minutes of controlled play despite Leandro Trossard’s fourth minute opener. He was fed the ball by Declan Rice then smoked the ball home at the near post.
After the break, the Gunners turned up the heat with Ben White latching onto a deflected shot from Rice and Kai Havertz lifting a fine finish over the goalkeeper to put Arsenal clear. Havertz then added a fourth with a guided finish to the bottom corner before White volleyed a beautifully dainty pass from Martin Odegaard into the top corner.
For Chelsea it was a night to forget but Arsenal took advantage of playing first this week and now Liverpool and Manchester City must respond if they hope to avoid dropping points in the title race.
Relive the updates from Arsenal vs Chelsea in tonight’s live blog below and get the latest match odds and tips, here
Arsenal have cemented their place as London’s finest with the help of Chelsea cast-offs
Between Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke wrestling over a penalty and the Senegalese’s semi-final misses at Wembley, there was actually some respite for Chelsea last week.
The prospect of their discards winning the Champions League had started to loom large; until one of them, Mateo Kovacic, missed his spot kick in Manchester City’s shootout defeat to Real Madrid on the same night, with Jorginho and Kai Havertz starting, Arsenal made a tame exit to Bayern Munich.
A day earlier, Chelsea’s Champions League-winning captain Cesar Azpilicueta had been taken off at half-time in Atletico Madrid’s loss to Borussia Dortmund; if Kepa Arrizabalaga goes on to win the competition for a second time, it will at least be as a substitute again. There is nothing too chastening for Chelsea there.
Arsenal have cemented place as London’s finest with the help of Chelsea cast-offs
Mikel Arteta’s use of two former Blues players in Kai Havertz and Jorginho has helped open up a chasm between the two clubs
More from Poch on Jackson
“This is normal, he is young,” the Chelsea manager continued on his assessment over Nicolas Jackson’s season so far. “He needs to deal with the pressure of playing for Chelsea with all the new things that have happened.
“He has increased his social media followers – before it was not too much and now in the Premier League it has increased and it’s how you deal with this situation.
“It is so important for him to adapt and to assimilate to all the new stimulation from the outside. We can not judge an end product – he’s potentially an amazing striker and step by step he is getting better and better.
“The first season is always difficult for all the players, even more so when you are a striker and you need to perform and score goals – and everyone expects you to score a goal with every single touch.
“I’ve said before, if we want the players to match the icon players here like (Didier) Drogba, if we compare, always he is going to lose. If we split the history of the club with the performance of the team and Jackson, I think he is doing fantastic.
“He is going to have all support because even if doesn’t score, he is fighting for the club, fighting for his teammates and the team, producing chances of himself alone.
“He is going to be better next season for sure, no doubt about that, and he needs to keep going.”
Pochettino believes Jackson has earned patience
Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated his trust in Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson. The Senegal international arrived from Villarreal in the summer and has featured regularly in the Premier League this campaign.
He has scored 10 top-flight goals and and has integrated himself into Pochettino’s squad.
“Football is a dynamic system and you need to adapt to the circumstances. The circumstances are a young striker arrived from Spain and then different offensive players, like Christopher Nkunku or Armando Broja, were not available in a way that would allow him to rest.
“That’s why it’s unfair not to give him the praise or credit for the effort that he has been making. He was also involved in the Africa Cup of Nations and I think he has been doing a fantastic job for the team.
“We are going to give him all the support for him to be in the future calmer in front of goal and to increase the percentage of scoring goals.”
Pochettino’s Palmer update
Cole Palmer is likely to miss tonight’s match against Arsenal but Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says the club will assess whether he could potentially make a last minute recovery from illness.
“We need to assess [Tuesday],” said Pochettino of Palmer’s chances. “Today, no, I don’t believe he can be involved. Even if he will be good tomorrow, he may not be in a condition to play.
“With and without him, we believe that we can win. The most important thing is the collective. Of course he’s an important part of the team. He’s doing fantastic for us. But we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job.”
Premier League title race: Who has the best fixtures – Man City, Arsenal or Liverpool?
The Premier League is heading for a classic title race, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal set for a three-way battle as the season enters the run-in.
A “painful” week in the Champions League and Europa League saw the Premier League’s top three teams all crash out of European competition at the quarter-final stage, as attention returns to the title race once again.
It comes as both Liverpool and Arsenal slipped up at home last weekend to leave champions City leading the way with six games to go. Pep Guardiola’s side are aiming to win a fourth league title in a row – a feat that has never been achieved in the history of English football, and the title is now in their hands.
Premier League title race: Who has the best fixtures in the run-in?
Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all have tricky tests to pass as the Premier League title race hots up, but who has the best run-in?
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Chelsea have won five of their last eight Premier League London derby matches, with two draws and one defeat in that run. They had previously won just one of their last 10 (three draws, six defeats).
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino has never won a Premier League away game against Arsenal, drawing four and losing three of his seven league visits to the Emirates Stadium with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Premier League ‘disppointed’ in Nottingham Forest comments over VAR
The Premier League issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following its match against Everton.
“We note The FA has confirmed it will be investigating the club’s statement. It is never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments mean the Premier League will also be investigating the matter in relation to the League’s Rules.”
Premier League ‘extremely disappointed’ by Nottingham Forest PGMOL demands
The Premier League was “extremely disappointed” by comments Nottingham Forest made on social media demanding the audio of three VAR decisions they believe went against them in the defeat to Everton be released to the public,
The club also called for a change in how referees are selected after three penalty incidents, all involving Everton’s Ashley Young, were checked and cleared by the video assistant referee during the fixture at Goodison Park.
Premier League ‘extremely disappointed’ by Nottingham Forest PGMOL demands
The club feel that three VAR decisions went against them in their 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park
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