Chelsea vs Arsenal LIVE - Marcos Alonso goal seals victory for Blues as Unai Emery remains without a point
Re-live the action from the Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge on Saturday
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea maintained their 100 per cent record in the Premier League this season by beating London rivals Arsenal 3-2, ensuring that Unai Emery's reign as manager remains pointless from their opening two matches.
Pedro and Alvaro Morata threatened to take the game away from a wasteful Arsenal side with early goals inside the opening 20 minutes, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan missing good chances to score for the away side.
But Mkhitaryan would make up for it when he curled an effort past the £71m goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Alex Iwobi quickly cancelled out the lead before half-time arrived with a close-range effort.
The second-half proved a much tighter affair as Chelsea sent on Eden Hazard and new loan signing Matteo Kovacic, but it was the reliable wide option of Marcos Alonso who found the winner to send Chelsea to the top of the table.
Re-live the live action below...
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Preview
Emery and his team have come in for criticism this week from former Gunners greats such as Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Jens Lehmann, and they will be keen to avoid continuing their awful away form last season which saw them win just four games from a possible 19.
A victory for Emery may be difficult to come by though, given that Sarri lost just two home Serie A games with Napoli last season. The 59-year-old will also be eager to win his first home game with his new club in order to continue their winning start to the league campaign and possibly become the early pace setters with Liverpool.
What time does it start?
Chelsea vs. Arsenal kicks off at 5:30 PM (BST)
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 4K UHD from 5pm. Highlights will be shown at 10:30 PM on BBC One.
It’s a big game for…
Petr Cech: The 36-year-old goalkeeper will be facing his former club this weekend and the pressure on him as gone up a notch after his mixed performance last weekend. His shot-stopping looked sharp for the most part but he was criticised for his part in Sterling’s opener, while his ball-playing ability, part of Emery’s attempt to implement a new style of play, was summarised by an attempted pass to Shkodran Mustafi that nearly ended up in his own net.
Stat…
57: The sides have drawn 57 games altogether in their history, two of which came in the Premier League fixtures last season.
Remember when…
One of Eden Hazard’s best Chelsea moments came against Arsenal in February 2017 when he beat off the challenges of three Arsenal defenders to score a solo effort that was named Premier League Goal of the Month. While a repeat may be asking a little much of someone who has had a little under two weeks of full training, do not be surprised if you see the Belgian complete take-ons against tired opposition legs in his usual elegant manner.
Player to watch…
N’Golo Kanté: Sarri’s new system at Chelsea seems to suit the World Cup winner down to the ground, and his opening goal at the weekend capped off a near perfect performance. Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira has been compared to the 27-year-old Frenchman, and should the Uruguayan start it could make for an interesting clash between the two diminutive midfielders.
Past three meetings…
Arsenal 2 (Rüdiger OG, Xhaka) Chelsea 1 (Hazard), League Cup, January 2018
Chelsea 0 Arsenal 0, League Cup, January 2018
Arsenal 2 (Wilshere, Bellerín ) Chelsea 2 (Hazard (P), Alonso), Premier League, January 2018
Form guide…
CHELSEA: LW
ARSENAL: L
Odds…
Chelsea to win: 4/5
Arsenal to win: 16/5
Draw: 29/10
(Odds provided by 888 Sport)
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's evening kick-off in the Premier League, with Chelsea hosting Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
You have just enough time to read through Ed Malyon's preview of what will be an exceptional game - they always are when these sides meet.
"One has had a short while and the other barely a minute, but for the two coaches feeling their way into their new jobs a result at Stamford Bridge on Saturday would be a welcome bonus."
4: Chelsea have had more of the ball in the opening exchanges as each team trades opening jabs. Also, is there any sight in football quite like David Luiz charging forward with the ball at his feet leaving a enormous gap behind him. I love it! Both Luiz and Pedro fire over with efforts from range.
6: Jorginho almost picks out Barkley with a clipped past beyond the defence. Bellerin charges forward to play him offside but pushes up too late, but Barkley cannot get the ball under control and Arsenal survive.
8: Ozil goes close
Monreal makes an overlapping run and picks out Ozil at the front post with a low-ish cross. The German meets the ball and tries to guide it into the far corner but angles it wide.
Pedro opens the scoring!
Arsenal's defending is, well...hilarious. Unless you're an Arsenal fan, of course. Arsenal are caught high up the pitch and Jorginho picks out Alonso with a precise ball to the left channel. The full back picks his head up and sees Pedro waiting in the middle, squares the ball to him, and Pedro makes no mistake with a close range finish.
13: Barkley almost makes it 2-0 with a curling effort which goes just over the bar after Arsenal give the ball away in a dangerous area. You have to admire Arsenal's commitment to playing out from the back, despite being really bad at it.
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