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In the worst season in 46 years, few could believe that the Arsenal battery or Chelsea. Everyone except Mikel Arteta. The Gunners’ technical pressured has a particular writing in the classics and he maintained it with the victory by 3 to 1, this Saturday (26), with the right to a penalty by Jorginho stopped by Leno, in the 46th minute of the final stage.
It may seem exaggerated, but the scoreboard reflects what happened at the Emirates Stadium in London. Arsenal did very well in the first half, making it 2-0, and handled the result very well in the final stage, with little risk. Thus, in round 15, he broke a sequence of seven games without winning (two draws and five losses) in Premier league.
In terms of classification, Arsenal do not go up much. He leaves 15th place and goes to 14th with 17 points, but defeating his great rival should give the team a new life to leave the “second half” of the English standings.
Chelsea, meanwhile, had a disappointing performance. Listed as one of the candidates for the title, the team parks at 25 points, but with a goal difference worse than Aston Villa, it fell to sixth place.
Lacazette opened the penalty spot 34 minutes into the first half. The penalty was well marked. James dropped Tierney in the area after a left-back singles play.
Ten minutes later, in a new play on the ball, Arsenal reached second. And it was a beautiful goal. Shaka took a free kick from the entrance to the box over the wall and sent the ball at an angle.
At 11 o’clock on the final stage, in the Gunners’ first attack, another great goal came. This time Saka received the ball from Smith Rowe, invaded the area from the right side and while trying to cross he covered goalkeeper Mendy, the ball whimsically touched the right post before entering.
Chelsea scored at 40 ‘of the last stage with Abraham, who deflected the ball with his chest after a Hudson-Odoi cross. The VAR (video referee) reviewed the play, but ended up confirming the goal.
The result is still curious because Arsenal are at the bottom of the table and have England’s worst campaign since the 1974/75 season, when, in the same number of rounds as now, they only managed two victories. Now there are five triumphs and a new spirit.
The score was also surprising because Arteta had to deal with three absences. Gabriel Magalhães was out of quarantine after having contact with a person infected by COVID-19. David Luiz and Willian, who tested negative, were saved by not doing well.
But Arteta has its own light in games against England’s Big Six (a group that includes Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham, in addition to Arsenal).
Now there are eight wins in 16 classics, something new for Arsenal. Against Arteta, the performance had just five wins in 31 matches against these rivals.
For Chelsea it was the confirmation of a destiny this season. The team does very well against smaller opponents, but in games against the Big Six (regardless of the opponent’s position at the table) they disappointed. They lost to Liverpool and Arsenal and drew with Tottenham and Manchester United.
Arsenal 3 x 1 Chelsea
GOAL: Lacazette (ARS), 34 min, and Xhaka (ARS), 44 min from 1ºT; Saka (ARS), at 11 min, and Abraham (CHE), at 40 min of Q2
ARSENAL: Log; Holding, Pablo Marí and Tierney; Bellerín, Elneny, Xhaka and Saka; Smith Rowe (Willock), Lacazette (Mustafi) and Gabriel Martinelli (Nicolas Pépé). Technical: Mikel Arteta
CHELSEA: Mendy; James, Zouma, Thiago Silva and Chilwell; Kanté (Havertz), Kovacic (Jorginho) and Mount; Pulisic, Abraham and Werner (Hudson-Odoi). Technical: Frank Lampard
It was 19 years without Arsenal and Chelsea meeting on boxing day. The last time was on December 26, 2001, with the triumph of the Gunners over the Blues 2 to 1.
Before this duel, Arsenal had a curious statistic. They have won 46 of the last 48 Premier League matches in which they went into halftime, winning 2-0. The other two matches ended in a draw.
Was the third foul of Granit Xhaka for Arsenal. The leaders of this foundation are Thierry Henry (12), Alexis Sánchez (5) and Robin van Persie (5). But the last time a player fouled his rival was in 2004 with Henry.
Arsenal are not doing well this season, but coach Mikel Arteta generally does well in games against the Big Six. Now they are 8 wins in 16 games. Lampard’s Chelsea has only 2 wins in 15 games.
Classification
– Chelsea, sixth place, 25 points
– Arsenal, 14th place, 17 points
Upcoming matches
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Second-fair, 12/28, 2:30 pm *, Chelsea x Aston Villa, Premier League
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Tuesday, 12/29, 3pm *, Brighton v Arsenal, Premier League
* Brasilia time
