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- Arsenal play their way back into form with a 3-1 victory over a helpless Chelsea side.
- Two goals from Martin Odegaard and one from Gabriel Jesus gave the Gunners a 3-0 lead at half time.
- Chelsea pulled a goal back through Noni Madueke but slump to their sixth consecutive defeat.
Arsenal Player Ratings: Martin Odegaard at the double
Contents
Aaron Ramsdale 6 – Had a few shaky moments on the ball but could do nothing to prevent the Chelsea goal.
Ben White 6 – Perhaps the only duel of the game that Arsenal lost was Sterling vs White down the Chelsea left-hand side. A rare weak performance from the 25-year-old.
Jakub Kiwior 7 – Had an easy first half against Aubameyang but looked more assured than Rob Holding. A smart decision by Arteta to bring the Pole in.
Gabriel 7 – As solid as ever at the back but hobbled off at the end – the last thing Arsenal fans wanted to see with William Saliba still out.
Oleksandr Zinchenko 7 – The Ukrainian is always at his best when he isn’t being asked to defend. Played his way into the game and was excellent in his hybrid role.
Jorginho 7 – Came in for Partey, who has been disappointing in recent weeks, and controlled the game in midfield.
Granit Xhaka 8 – Has also been poor in recent weeks but was fantastic tonight. Played a key role in Arsenal’s first two goals.
Martin Odegaard 9 – The first goal brought his confidence back and he was sublime for the rest of the game.
WHAT A STRIKE! 🚀
Martin Ødegaard gives Arsenal an early lead with this brilliant finish pic.twitter.com/uflmJJxMmO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 2, 2023
Leondro Trossard 7 – Despite Martinelli’s brilliance, Arsenal look more assured with Trossard on the pitch.
Bukayo Saka 8 – Caused Ben Chilwell all sorts of problems and looked like creating a goalscoring chance every time he picked the ball up.
Gabriel Jesus 7 – Worked hard all night and deserved his goal.
Substitutes
Gabriel Martinelli 6 – Looks slightly off the pace.
Reiss Nelson 7 – Was a bright spark once again off the bench.
Kieran Tierney 7 – Came on for Zinchenko and looked more solid defensively.
Rob Holding 6 – Came on too late to make an impact.
Thomas Partey 6 – Came on too late to make an impact.
Chelsea Player Ratings: Another miserable night for all involved
Kepa Arrizabalaga 6 – Couldn’t do anything about any of the Chelsea goals and made a few good saves. Still too weak on crosses, though.
Cesar Azpilicueta 3 – Looked every inch a fullback coming towards the end of his career. Should never have been put in that position by his manager.
Wesley Fofana 5 – Had to cover for Azpilicueta a lot which made him quite erratic throughout. Could have dealt with Jesus’ goal better.
Thiago Silva 6 – Made an amazing goal line clearance from a corner and looked like the only player in a Chelsea shirt who cared.
Ben Chilwell 4 – Could have levelled it at 1-1 but saw his shot saved by Ramsdale. Struggled against Saka all night.
N’golo Kante 3 – Ran around a lot, but almost aimlessly. Didn’t look like he knew what he was meant to be doing. Maybe he didn’t.
Enzo Fernandez 4 – Struggled with the intensity of the game even against a slow midfield.
Mateo Kovacic 6 – Probably Chelsea’s best player on the night and played a sublime ball into Madueke for the equaliser.
Noni Madueke 6 – Took his goal nicely and worked hard down the right wing. Tried to make things happen to be fair to him.
Madueke's first goal for Chelsea! 🔷
Pinpoint from Kovacic 🎯 pic.twitter.com/x9OH6cR5mm
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 2, 2023
Raheem Sterling 5 – Got the better of Ben White on multiple occasions but his end product was lacking. Looked lazy in transition.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 1 – A truly abject performance. Why Lampard thought playing him was a good idea is a mystery.
Substitutes
Kai Havertz 6/10 – Certainly an upgrade on Aubameyang but lacks a cutting edge.
Mykhailo Mudryk 6/10 – There’s something about him and he’s been written off too early.
Conor Gallagher 5/10 – Very sloppy on the ball.
Hakim Ziyech 6/10 – Came on too late to make an impact.
Trevor Chalobah 6/10- Came on too late to make an impact.
Arsenal vs Chelsea Match Summary and Highlights
Arsenal went into the game knowing that anything less than three points would end their remaining faint hopes of winning the Premier League titles. Before the match, Mikel Arteta talked up the talent in the Chelsea team but on this showing, the Arsenal manager couldn’t have been more wrong.
It didn’t take long for the home side to get their noses in front when Martin Odegaard fired in an effort from the edge of the box which bounced off the crossbar before nestling into the back of the net. Shortly after the same combination of Xhaka to Odegaard doubled Arsenal’s lead and they all but sealed the win in the 34th minute when Gabriel Jesus tapped in after a scramble in the penalty box.
Although the Blues managed to score a goal in the second half, through Noni Madueke, the match was a non-event after the break, and Arsenal cruised to the finishing line. Next up for the Gunners is a trip to St James Park while Frank Lampard’s side travel to Bournemouth.
Player of the Match: Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard. Highest scoring midfielder in the league. 14 and counting. pic.twitter.com/wkyP2aLIkN
— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) May 2, 2023
Martin Odegaard has been accused of going hiding in recent weeks but the Arsenal skipper more than stepped up to the plate tonight. His two goals gave Arsenal a much-needed good start and he combined beautifully with just about every other red shirt on the pitch throughout the 90 minutes.
The 24-year old scored both of his goals without taking a touch, displaying his impeccable technique, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his captain can continue this type of form over the final four games of the season.
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