Fine margins. That's what I talked about in my last piece, and what hadn't been going in Arsenal's favour for much of the previous three matches did so last night. And just so typical of Arsenal to end a run of three defeats at Stamford Bridge.
For sure, Arsenal weren't as bad as those three successive defeats had indicated (the first half against Palace being the exception), but at Stamford Bridge many of those little pieces of good fortune manifested themselves into the breaks that the team needed to get them back on track. And those opportunities were firmly grasped in a superb affirmation of where this team just might be heading over the next few years.
So first to team news; and there was plenty of head shaking going on at the news of the return of Elneny, and the omission of Martinelli. Maybe it was a desperate roll of the dice by Arteta, but what he'd done was revert to what has worked before against this particular opposition - match them up formation-wise, stifle their midfield creativity, and be prepared to hit them hard on the break. Three centre halves for starters. Then for Maitland-Niles read Tavares; for Aubameyang read Nketiah (you can only work with what you've got). And bringing back the ever-dependable- if distinctly unexciting - Elneny was a masterstroke.
As anticipated, Chelsea made much of the early running. Arsenal looked a little unsure of what they were doing, as Holding took time to settle back in and Alonso pressed high. At the other end of the field, the triumvirate of Nketiah, Saka and ESR did look like they could cause a Chelsea defence missing both Rudiger and Thiago Silva problems. And so it proved as, having weathered an early storm, Arsenal took the lead following a horrendous error from Christensen. Nketiah, who had hounded him into the mistake, nonetheless had plenty to do, but took the opportunity superbly.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long before Chelsea levelled. A series of minor errors from several players led to Werner's shot deflecting off of Xhaka and wrong-footing Ramsdale (who might, perhaps, have done better). However, a terrific counter-attacking goal saw them back in front, as following cool and brave defending by Xhaka and clever link play with Odegaard, Saka tied Saar in knots and, via a clever pass from the Norwegian, ESR passed the ball into the net from fully 18 yards. Stunning.
But yet again the lead lasted less than 5 minutes as Azpu... Azpuli... whatever his name is - shall I just call him Dave? - swept in a low cross from Mount, with Nuno Tavares seemingly unaware of his presence behind his right shoulder. I'm fairly sure that White was fouled in the build-up; but it was Jon Moss in charge, so that was never coming back. Annoying.
So 2-2 at half time, and whist there was talk at that time of being happy with a draw I did sense that Chelsea were there for the taking. And so it proved, with Nketiah's second nicely taken, but accompanied by some good fortune as two ricochets fell his way inside the penalty area. Still, who honestly cares, eh? And the first substitute over to congratulate Eddie - was Laca... The chance was created, by the way, by a pass pinged in to him by Tavares, who adds something of a Yaya Sanogo-type chaos factor in the opposing half.
And this despite the hapless Christnesen having been replaced by Thiago Silva at half-time. Reece James was also surprisingly quiet, by the way; if he was intimidated by the attacking threat of Tavares then then would be quite something. As for the rest of the Chelsea side, Saar was poor, as was N'Golo Kante. Lukaku was just awful, and Tuchel's substitutions made little difference. Great to see Tuchel clearly losing his rag during his post-match interviews, by the way. Extra Brownie Points for Mikel Arteta there, I'd say.
And whilst Chelsea spent most of the final half hour in Arsenal's half, they barely looked like creating much. This despite the utterly ineffective Lukaku being replaced by Havertz straight after Arsenal's third. Indeed, Arsenal's threat on the break was certainly not diminished when Nketiah went off (he'd run himself to a standstill) with Martinelli taking over his role. And so into injury time, when 'Dave' dragged Saka to the floor by the penalty spot, leaving Moss no choice but to award a penalty. And what a joy it was to see the boy, who'd been vilified all evening by Chelsea's special brand of 'fans' for missing the final penalty in the final of last year's Euros, send Mendy the wrong way. Redemption.
So those were the bare facts. But what else can we take from the game. Well, quite a lot, actually:
- As I mentioned, this team selection felt like something of a last roll of the dice for Arteta. But perhaps he's found a template for the more difficult of the final few games now? West Ham away. That Lot away. Newcastle away. A back 5, solidity in midfield, and pace and trickery up front
- One thing's for sure - Nketiah's not coming out of the side for the foreseeable future. Laca's not putting away either of those chances. And he could have had a hat-trick in the first half alone. He said he wanted minutes, and he justified it with that performance. It remains to be seen if he'll be at Arsenal next season - and he's still got a massive job to do in the next month - but there looks like there may be a role for both him and the returning Balogun behind a marquee new signing next season - especially if European football is on the agenda
- I am a little concerned with the form of Aaron Ramsdale. He may well have been playing above himself when he first came into the side, but there have been signs of nervousness and some poor decision-making recently. Let's hope he sorts his head out in that regard. Nonetheless, he still scores 10/10 for general shithousery!
- Defensively, Arteta has to make some decisions now. Tomiyasu looks like he'll be back imminently; perhaps even for Saturday. Does he come back in? If so, does Tavares keep his spot or does he flip Cedric over there? Does he stick to three centre-halves for the rest of the season, or does he go on a game-by-game basis? I can't imagine that he'll need three for all the games, and it does mean losing a player higher up the field
- In midfield, Xhaka was absolutely immense against Chelsea. Non-stop talking and manoeuvering of his team-mates, and played really well too. He is much-maligned, and can be relied on for 98% of the time. The question is do those other 2% justify moving him on. I think that he'd like to stay; and there's certainly a role for him next year if he wants it. Although I'm sure that Arteta is looking to bring in a starting midfielder...
- As for the player to slot in alongside him between now and May 22nd... well, perhaps it's Sambi for home games and Elneny for away games. That's a distinct possibility
- Odegaard re-found his mojo last night. Long may that continue. The combinations he helps knit together with the Hale End boys are a joy to behold
- And as for Starboy, what else can be said. He's the best player in the side, and I love him. He had Alonso on a string all night, and could develop into an absolute world star. A big - and long - new contract is required, and we should be looking to build a team around what is clearly a generational talent. And lest we forget the monkey he shook off his back with that penalty. Bless you, Little Chilli x
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