3 positives & negatives from Arsenal’s dominant win over Chelsea

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal celebrates their teams first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on November 06, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal celebrates their teams first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on November 06, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) /
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Positive #2: Return of Zinchenko

Oleksandr Zinchenko made his first appearance since 1 October on Sunday. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Oleksandr Zinchenko made his first appearance since 1 October on Sunday. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Oleksandr Zinchenko made his return from injury in this match and he has been missed. Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu have filled in admirably while the Ukrainian has been injured, but Zinchenko adds a level of technical quality that’s been lacking.

He is so fluid with his positioning and is the key facilitator in ensuring his side progress upfield efficiently.

Zinchenko’s been missed and it’s huge that he’s back.

Negative #2: Fouls on Saka

Is a pattern starting to emerge? (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Is a pattern starting to emerge? (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

Saka got the winning assist today but it was a tough match for the winger. He was in a serious physical battle with Marc Cucarella and, once again, Saka was not getting the protection he needs from the referee.

He was penalised more than the Chelsea defender when, most of the time, Saka was the one being fouled. It’s something that needs to change because Saka is a very direct player that needs more protection from officials moving forward.

Continued on the next slide…