Mikel Arteta will most certainly heave a sigh of relief after his side inspired a 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day.
The Blues travelled to the Emirates Stadium in a bid to boost their title credentials against a desperate Arsenal side but were outclassed in every department as the young gunners ended Arsenal’s seven-game wait for a Premier League victory.
Alexandre Lacazette fired in a penalty on 34 minutes to put Arsenal in front after Reece James was penalised for a foul on Kieran Tierney before Granit Xhaka put Arsenal into a two-goal half-time lead for the first time this season with a stunning free-kick.
Arsenal was not done shocking everyone as Bukayo Saka lobbed the ball over Edouard Mendy from a long-range early in the second half to put Arsenal three goals up in commanding fashion.
Tammy Abraham did spark a late rally, but it proved too little, too late for Chelsea as Bernd Leno saved Jorginho’s stoppage-time penalty to end their hopes of pulling off the unlikeliest of comebacks.
Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)
- Arsenal have now won each of their last 10 home Premier League matches on Boxing Day, the second-best run in the competition’s history after Manchester United won 12 in a row between 1997 and 2016.
- Arsenal have recorded their first win in eight Premier League matches, and their first at the Emirates since a 2-1 win over Sheffield United back in October (D1 L4).
- Chelsea have lost each of their last three away games in the Premier League, their worst run since February 2019.
- Arsenal netted more than once during the first half of a Premier League game for the first time this season, leading by at least two goals at the interval for the first time since a 3-2 victory over Watford in July.
- After netting each of his first eight penalties for Chelsea in all competitions, Jorginho has since missed three of his last six for the club, also failing to do so against Liverpool in September and Krasnodar in October.
Mangers reactions
Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta said: “Obviously [it’s a] a really big win for us. We were really disappointed and frustrated with the results, not so much with the performances, but the results.
“The players were suffering; our fans were suffering and today is a really special day. It doesn’t get any better – Boxing Day, playing a London derby at the Emirates and winning the way we’ve done it.
“Hopefully this is a turning point and will elevate the confidence of the team because I know that they can play at this level. It is how consistent we are throughout the game to sustain that level and to maintain it.”
Frank Lampard of Chelsea said: “It wasn’t good enough. We fought in the second half but in the first half we gave ourselves too much to do. The players who came on added speed energy and intensity.
“I’ll take responsibility on the outside, but the players also have to take responsibility. The message was clear – Arsenal are a dangerous team. When you go out and play 60 or 70 per cent then you’re not going to win any games
“I am angry because I want us to win games. It was an opportunity to go second. You get what you deserve.”
Other Boxing Day results
- Leicester City 2-2 Manchester United
- Aston Villa 3-0 Crystal Palace
- Fulham 0-0 Southampton
- Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
- Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle
- Sheffield United 0-1 Everton
Arsenal are returning!