ARSENAL 3-1 CHELSEA
Match Report:
Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it's goodbye. Wishing everyone happy holidays and a happy New Year.
Full-time! After 95 minutes of exhilarating football, it's finished Arsenal 3, Chelsea 1.
Merry Christmas for Arsenal fans indeed!
First win in eight games for Arsenal and its first home win in almost three months.
FULL-TIME!!! ARSENAL WINS!! Mikel Arteta's side beats Frank Lampard's side 3-1 to take home three very, very crucial points.
Leno dives to his left and makes a crucial save.
90' SAVED!! WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?! YOU SURELY CAN'T WRITE THIS SCRIPT! JORGINHO MISSES YET ANOTHER PENALTY.
Five minutes added to the last 45
Jorginho stands over the dead ball.
89' PENALTY TO CHELSEA!!! What on earth is happening here? Mari brings down Mount and Chelsea sees a glimmer of hope.
Coming to the goal, Hudson-Odoi picks out Tammy with a delightful cross from the right. The latter taps it in from six yards out. Oliver went up to the VAR to check if he was off-side but the replay shows he was just on.
85' GOOOALLL!!! TAMMY ABRAHAM PULLS ONE BACK! Michael Oliver has gone to the VAR! And it stands! Chelsea score its first of the night.
85' 1...2....3...4...5... Mendy turns on the legendary mode! From the corner, he saves about five efforts on target. WOW!
84' SAVE! Mendy denies Lacazette after a botched pass. Arsenal forward's curling effort is palmed away.
82' YELLOW CARD FOR TIERNEY! For what you ask? Well, time wasting.
Coming back to the Saka wonder goal, he obviously meant to dink it over Mendy. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise.
Chelsea, as should be the case, showing a sense of urgency. It's a race against time with a goal looking far-fetched.
80' JUST OVER! Hudson-Odoi squares it from the right and Abraham meets the ball with his header. However, just like Silva, he blazes it over.
Pablo Mari is up and limps his way off for further treatment and play resumes after a small break.
Bellerin and Abraham get into an argument over over the latter brought down Pablo Mari. Abraham thinks he went down too softly, while Hector tries to defend his teammate.
Chelsea has a quarter of an hour to score three goals for a point and four goals for a win. MASSIVE!
75' CORNER FOR CHELSEA! And just over from Thiago Silva. Mount from the left swings it away into the box. Silva gets a good piece of the ball, but fails to keep it on target
69' SUBSTITUTION FOR ARSENAL: IN- Pepe| OUT- Martinelli
64' SUBSTITUTION FOR ARSENAL: IN- WILLOCK| OUT-SMITH ROWE
63' GLOVED! Hudson-Odoi floats a cross deep from the right into the box, seeking Chilwell. But Saka tracks back on time to help out with the defensive duties as he gets ahead of Ben and calmly heads the ball to his keeper.
Saka's cross/shot from distance on the right, after Bellerin and Smith Rowe combine, slams into the top right-hand corner. Was that intended or a flook? We'll let you be the judge of that.
56' GOOOALLLLLL!!!! ARSENAL CAN'T SEEM TO STOP SCORING TODAY!!! ANOTHER SPECTACULAR GOAL!! THIS TIME, IT'S BUKAYO SAKA!
47' CORNER! Abraham sends a dangerous cross into the box deep from the right, seeking Hudson-Odoi, and the ball is headed over the bar by Tierney. Nothing comes off the corner.
46' Lacazette sets the ball rolling!
SECOND HALF BEGINS!
Two half-time substitutions for Chelsea! Jorginho and Callum Hudson-Odoi come on fro Werner and Kovacic.
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Well, that was something. Arsenal started well in the first 8-odd minutes. Once Chelsea found its feet, it started sending down a barrage of shots towards Leno but none on target. Zouma conceded a soft penalty that Lacazette converted and the first half came to a close with a beautiful free-kick from Xhaka. Bring on the second half.
HALF-TIME! Michael Oliver brings an exhilarating first half to an end! Phew! We all need a break here after what we have seen.
1 minute is added to the half
IS THIS THE SAME ARSENAL SIDE WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS? YOU'D THINK NOT! WOW!
44' GOOOOOOALLLL!!!!! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? GRANIT XHAKA WITH AN ABSOLUTE PEACH OF A FREE-KICK, THAT SWIRLS AWAY FROM MENDY AND SLAMS INTO THE TOP RIGHT CORNER!
43' FREE-KICK FOR ARSENAL! Saka receives the ball on the right and runs to the left in an attempt to create a chance, but he is stopped in his tracks by Kante.
Soft penalty, you'd say, but as it stands, Arsenal have the lead. Muted celebration from gaffer Mikel Arteta. No jumping or punching the air. Just clapping his hands. Goal scorer Alexandre wipes the sweat off his forehand with a huge smile on his face, signalling it was a nervy moment.
35' GOOOOALL!!!!!! ARSENAL TAKE THE LEAD!! How often have you heard that since the start of November? My guess is not too often. LACAZETTE goes right, sending Mendy the wrong way.
AND.....
Lacazette at the dead ball.
33' PENALTY FOR ARSENAL! Can't say it against the run of play considering how both sides have exchanged blows. Tierney is brought down by Reece James while he was trying to take the ball closer to the left upright.
31' MOUNT BUT WIDE! OOOOFFF!! These guys are absolutely relentless, just like the rain pouring down in London. He tries to curl the ball inside the far upright from the left.
30' NOW REECE JAMES GOES LONG! The corner from the right post is cleared loosely and Reece James fancies himself with a shot from a long way out. But he overhits it.
29' ABRAHAM! CORNER! Attempts galore at the Emirates. Tammy Abraham, from the edge of the box in the centre, looks to drill the ball home but Pablo Mari gets in the way.
25' CHANCE AND ARSENAL SCUFFS IT!! Hector Bellerin, on the right, latches on to a loose ball just outside the box and runs in diagonally towards goal. He squares it to Smith Rowe, who fails to get proper contact from a few yards out. Martinelli gets on to the deflection and goal for goal from the opposite end at a tight angle. He only finds the side netting.
24' AUDACIOUS! Xhaka receives the ball in space deep on the right, and he goes for goal. His lucid attempt is blocked by Silva.
21' OVER! Mount's delivery is headed over the bar by a rising Zouma.
21' Chelsea all over Arsenal. First, Werner finds himself in a bit of space at the edge of the Arsenal box on the left. He stutters forward and just when he is about to pull the trigger, Rob Holding denies him with an excellent sliding tackle. Chelsea win a corner.
16' YELLOW CARD FOR PABLO MARI! First of the game. After Chilwell's cross from the left flank is blocked, Arsenal counter-attack down the left. Martinelli charges down with the ball before threading to Saka. He a low cross into the box, which is blocked with ease and the rebound falls to Kovacic. He looks to break free from the cluster of Arsenal's players but he is stopped in his tracks, quite recklessly and desperately, by Pablo Mari.
13' OFF THE POST!! Mason Mount and Co. are denied the opening goal by the goal post's right upright. An outstanding free-kick, that swings around the wall and almost finds the back of the net. Leno had no chance there. Chelsea come agonisingly close.
12' FOUL! Building on the pressures, Pulisic bursts forward down the centre, only to be brought down by a sliding tackle from Xhaka. Free-kick for Chelsea. Mount stands on the dead ball.
11' Chelsea slowly finding its feet. Past to minutes have been all Chelsea inside the Arsenal half.
5' Another Arsenal corner. The Gunners enjoying a larger share of the ball early in the first half. Saka plays it short, receives it back immediately and crosses it. Lacazette meets the ball at awkward height with an angling header and the ball is comfortably pouched by Mendy
3' Early corner for Arsenal. Saka swirls it from the left corner post but the ball is cleared. out of harm's way by The Blues.
1' Chelsea's Mason Mount gets the game underway on Michael Oliver's prompt.
KICK-OFF: FIRST HALF BEGINS:
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We are moments away from kick-off!
Players are making their way out on to the field. Chelsea steps out first followed by Hector Bellerin's Arsenal.
STAT ATTACK: Chelsea have lost just two of their last 17 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (W9 D6)
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Current position in the table:
Arsenal- 15th (P-14 | W-4 |D-2 |L-8| Points- 14)
Chelsea- 5th (P-14 | W-7 |D-4 |L-3| Points- 25)
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This encounter has been talked up for multiple reasons. One of them being their recent form. While Chelsea has experienced a roller-coaster ride in the recent past, Arsenal finds itself at the bottom of a huge pit and can't seem to find a rope to climb back out.
Recent form guide:
Arsenal in the PL:
DLLLDL
Arsenal form all competitions:
LWLDLL
Chelsea in the PL:
WDWLLW
Chelsea form all competitions:
WWDLLW
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Head-to-Head record: (ARS 78-65 CHE)
Arsenal lead the overall head to head between these two teams with 78 wins as opposed to Chelsea's 65.
The teams have played out a draw 58 times throughout history.
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It's blockbuster of a fixture on Boxing Day. Old rivals in Arsenal and Chelsea gear up to lock horns but with very different purposes.
For one, it's about getting back to winning ways and for the other, it's about extending a winning run.
For one team, it's about closing in on the League leader Liverpool. For another, and quite shockingly enough, it's about steering clear of the relegation zone.
For one manager, it's about proving his club, management and the fans that he is purchases over the summer are worth it. For the other manager, in simple words, it's all about keeping the job.
YOU KNOW WHO IS WHO!
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STARTING XIs are out:
ARSENAL : Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Pablo Mari, Tierney, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette
CHELSEA: Mendy, James, Zouma, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Kovacic, Kante, Mount, Pulisic, Abraham, Werner
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MATCH BUILDUP:
The pick of the Boxing Day matches in England sees Arsenal in desperate need of a win. When Mikel Arteta oversaw Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea in August, it seemed like the Spaniard was laying down a marker for a brighter future for the north London club. Five months later, the two sides meet again at the Emirates Stadium with Arteta in turmoil. Arsenal is languishing in 15th place in the Premier League, without a domestic victory since beating Manchester United on November 1. Arsenal is sweating on the fitness of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has a calf problem, while Thomas Partey is expected to miss out again with a thigh injury.
But fellow midfielder Granit Xhaka is back from suspension and Gabriel Martinelli is likely to be fit after limping off during a League Cup loss to Manchester City on Tuesday. Chelsea is fifth after beating West Ham on Monday. Ben Chilwell’s ankle issue and Reece James’ knee concern will require late checks for Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, while Hakim Ziyech has still not recovered from his hamstring injury.
- ARSENAL VS CHELSEA BATTLE-
Chelsea is fifth in the table with 25 points from 14 games, two points behind second-placed Leicester City ahead of Saturday's trip to local rival Arsenal which has slipped to 15th after a poor start. Full story:
-FRANK LAMPARD SEEKS IMPROVEMENT AT CHELSEA TO MAKE IT TITLE CONTENDER-
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said he is pleased with the progress made by his team in the Premier League so far this season but has called for further improvement in its quest to become a genuine title contender.
The London side is fifth in the table with 25 points from 14 games, two points behind second-placed Leicester City ahead of Saturday's trip to local rival Arsenal which has slipped to 15th after a poor start.
"I'm happy, but we always want more as managers," Lampard told Sky Sports on Thursday.
"The reality is at the start of the season, we had some new players while others were missing, and we lacked a pre-season. Looking at our early results, we saw some good and some not-so-good performances.
"We then went on a good run which saw a lot of improvement, so I'm pretty happy but we want more. We want to be challenging for titles, but we have to accept that it's step by step. We've made some steps, but we have the potential to make a lot more."
Chelsea has lost its previous two away games - at Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers - and is hoping to avoid a third straight league defeat on the road for the first time since February last year.
"This season has shown most teams have had difficult moments, and a large part of that comes down to preparation. Preparation for the season is something we didn't have. We mustn't get too far ahead of ourselves or too far down the line," Lampard said.
"We have to think of the short-term and the games in front of us and not be reactionary after defeats last week or even wins and our unbeaten run. It's about making continual improvement, and that's important for focus."
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