3 positives & negatives as Arsenal ease past Chelsea 3-1

Arsenal responded to a winless streak of four games in the Premier League with an impressive 3-1 victory over a languishing Chelsea, who were spearheaded by a familiar face. 

As the Gunners have done to several teams this season, the visitors were out of the game before they even got a chance to impose themselves. A fast start saw Mikel Arteta’s side race into a three-nil lead as the Blues struggled to get a foothold in the game.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was virtually non-existent and Arsenal successfully stopped Chelsea from playing their expected counter-attacking game. Overall, it was a very good night for the Gunners.

3 positives and negatives as Arsenal ease past Chelsea 3-1

Positive #1: A much-needed victory

Given not just our recent results, but the nature of those results and their implications on the title race, a victory in this match was vital if the season was to end on a high. Chelsea are one of our fiercest rivals and in terrible form at this current moment in time, and the players took full advantage of the opportunity to boost the morale at the club.

The three points saw us climb back above Manchester City in the Premier League table before they beat West Ham 3-0 on Wednesday night.

Negative #1: Lack of ruthlessness

To some this may seem harsh given we were three goals to the good in the first half, however, we failed to build on that lead in the second period. Chelsea were there for the taking, and we had a real opportunity to send a statement to City with a huge win.

After surrendering two 2-0 leads in recent weeks, the players and manager know first-hand that a comfortable lead does not always equate to three points, and when you have the chance to put the game beyond any doubt, you must take it.

Perhaps our shift to preserving our lead was somewhat understandable given our recent form, however, I would have liked to have seen us push for the fourth, and perhaps even fifth goal a little harder.

Continued on the next slide…