Arsenal and their new head coach Unai Emery were able to dominate Chelsea on Saturday, beating the Blues 2-0. This was a big game for both teams. Coming into the game, Chelsea was ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United by six points, but after losing to Arsenal and United beating Brighton, the gap has now closed to three points. The fight for fourth and fifth place will be ongoing until the end of the season. It was surprising to see Chelsea play so poorly, since Arsenal just came off of a loss to West Ham and Chelsea has looked alright in the past couple of games.
Arsenal was able to find both of their goals in the first half. The first came early, in the 14 minute. Hector Bellerin fired a low cross into the box towards Alexandre Lacazette. Lacazette took a great first touch and was able to to blast a shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga from a tight angle. The second goal came from a bit of luck. Chelsea wasn’t able to clear there lines, and Sokratis sent in a cross that was found by Laurent Koscielny, wherein he shouldered the ball into the goal. Chelsea wasn’t able to get a shot on net until the 82 minute, and they were only able to have one.
Sarri absolutely thrashed his men in the post game interview.
“I have to say, I’m extremely angry. Very angry indeed”
“This defeat was due to our mentality, more than anything else. This is something I can’t accept.
“This group of players are extremely difficult to motivate.”
Chelsea have a solid squad, with exceptional players like Eden Hazard and Ngolo Kante, but they haven’t been able to find a consecutive solid form. Maybe Christian Pulisic, Chelsea’s new signing, will be able to bring in some new energy to help Chelsea find a good form. They have also signed Gonzalo Higuaín from AC Milan on loan until the end of the season.
Arsenal on the other hand have been in good form recently, winning their past four games, but their next game is going to be a challenge for Unai Emery and his men. They will face Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Manchester United have been in excellent form under their new manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United have won their past seven games under Solskjaer, and their attacking front have been such a nuisance for their opponents.
