Arsenal’s Kai Havertz, left, scores his facet’s third purpose throughout the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium in London, on April 23, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Ruthless Arsenal threw down the gauntlet in the Premier League title race with a 5-0 thrashing of London rivals Chelsea to roar three points clear at the top of the desk on Tuesday.
Any remaining doubts about Arsenal’s endurance had been answered emphatically as Leandro Trossard gave them an early lead earlier than Ben White and Kai Havertz scored two every in a blinding spell after the break to sweep apart a dazed Chelsea.
It was a robust assertion by Arsenal who’ve recovered impressively from a house defeat by Aston Villa and bowing out of the Champions League and with 4 video games remaining they’re piling the strain on Liverpool and Manchester City.
Arsenal have 77 points from 34 video games with Liverpool, who face Everton on Wednesday, on 74 from 33. Reigning champions Manchester City have 73 points however have two video games in hand beginning with a visit to Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday.
It was the sixth time Arsenal have scored 5 or extra in a Premier League recreation this season with out conceding and in such a decent race they now have an enormous purpose distinction benefit which might show essential to the consequence.
“Very happy with the win, with the amount of chances and goals we scored,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, whose facet face arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, stated. “And with the clean sheet as well it shows the consistency.
“We will get pleasure from it and relaxation and prepare for the subsequent one.”
For ninth-placed Chelsea it was a humbling night as they suffered their heaviest ever defeat by Arsenal and a hammer blow in their bid to creep into a European place just days after their narrow FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City.
“The crew confirmed an absence of capability to resist, that’s what is the downside,” Mauricio Pochettino, who gave a first Premier League start to young right back Alfie Gilchrist, said.
“Arsenal are an excellent crew. But I believe we allowed them to play.”
Brimming with energy
Arsenal were brimming with energy in the opening half, peppering Chelsea’s goal with 13 attempts and would have led by more than one at the interval but for Chelsea’s Serbia goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
Roared on by a fired-up Emirates Stadium crowd the hosts needed only four minutes to settle any nerves as a marauding Declan Rice drove into the heart of the area and weighted his pass perfectly for Trossard to fire home.
Petrovic would have been disappointed to be beaten from a narrow angle but made amends with a flurry of saves in quick succession to deny Bukayo Saka and Trossard and then reacted incredibly to keep out a close-range deflection.
Despite being under siege, a Chelsea side without 20-goal Cole Palmer had their moments and Axel Disasi somehow failed to connect from in front of goal from a flicked on corner.
Nicolas Jackson hit the post and then inexplicably failed to head in a brilliant Conor Gallagher cross.
But Arsenal turned up the heat in the second half and Chelsea simply evaporated.
White made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute after Rice’s shot deflected to him off Thomas Partey and Havertz was then played through by an exquisite pass from captain Martin Odegaard and finished in style.
Former Chelsea forward Havertz made it 4-0 with a low finish off a post and White admitted he got a little lucky as his side-footed attempted cross turned into a deft finish.
“The second one was a nasty contact and it went in,” he joked.
It might have gotten far worse for Chelsea with Rice hitting the put up as Arsenal ran riot however the residence followers left in euphoric temper as a primary title in 20 years started to look inside attain.
