Chelsea completed a late smash and grab comeback victory to beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners took a deserved lead in the 13’th minute as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang polished off a clever corner routine. An awful second-half error from Bernd Leno gifted Jorginho the equaliser though, before Tammy Abraham completed the turnaround as he latched onto Willian’s centre and drove the ball low into the net to secure victory for Chelsea and Frank Lampard.
Aubameyang gives Arteta perfect start
Surprisingly, David Luiz was the man with the early opportunities in the match as he first sent a wild overhead kick off target before forcing a relatively comfortable stop out of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa from a free-kick.
Somewhat predictably though, it was Aubameyang who ensured the Gunners’ positive start to the game had some reward. Connecting with Calum Chambers’ flicked header from a corner, the forward stooped low to guide the ball beyond Kepa and into the back of the Chelsea net.
Chelsea struggle to impose
The Blues severely struggled throughout the opening half an hour of the match and Frank Lampard made an early change as he introduced Jorginho for Emerson. That alteration almost paid instant dividends as Kurt Zouma found space at the back post in a very similar position to Aubameyang’s opener but couldn’t connect with the ball to turn it in.
Despite being massively under-par during the first-half, Chelsea improved following the break but clear cut chances were still at a premium. Abraham probably had the best of them as he out-jumped the Arsenal defence from a corner but could only put his header straight at Bernd Leno.
Arsenal remained dangerous throughout and almost extended their advantage through substitute Joe Willock as he blasted a powerful effort marginally wide.
Leno howler gifts Chelsea equaliser
For all of their impressive play throughout the match, the Gunners’ great work was undone by a horrendous error by Leno. Aiming to punch clear a deep Chelsea free-kick, the German completely missed the ball, allowing Jorginho to ghost in-behind and tap into the unguarded net.
Barely five minutes later, the Blues completed their turnaround as they launched a lethal counter-attack. Abraham released Willian down the right-flank, with the Brazilian manufacturing space to return the ball to the striker in the box. He then took three touches to control, spin and fire underneath Leno to edge Chelsea ahead for the first time late in the day.
Final Thoughts
The defeat was somewhat harsh on Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. The Gunners were impressive and the better side throughout the majority of the game. However, individual errors have undone them once again as Chelsea escape the Emirates with a fortunate victory.
Match Report
Arsenal: Leno (5); Saka (7), Luiz (6), Chambers (6) (Mustafi (5), 23′), Maitland-Niles (6); Guendouzi (6), Torreira (7); Nelson (7) (Pepe (N/A), 86′), Ozil (7) (Willock (6), 75′), Aubameyang (7); Lacazette (6).
Chelsea: Kepa (6); Tomori (6) (Lamptey (6), 59′); Zouma (6), Rudiger (7); Emerson (5) (Jorginho (7), 34′), Kovavic (6) (Hudson-Odoi (6), 70′), Kante (7), Azpilicueta (7); Willian (7), Mount (6), Abraham (7).
Goals: Aubameyang (13′), Jorginho (83′), Abraham (87′)
Referee: Craig Pawson
Yellow Cards: Guendouzi (10′), Mount (30′), Kante (30′), Rudiger (34′), Luiz (47′), Jorginho (55′), Torreira (73′), Lacazette (77′), Maitland-Niles (90+1′)
Red Cards: N/A
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