3 positives & negatives as Arsenal humiliate Chelsea

Arsenal thrashed London rivals Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday to extend their lead at the summit of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta's side got off to a flying start as they immediately sought to pile pressure on the Blues from the off - to great success.

The Gunners could have had a penalty in the first minute if not for Kai Havertz being fractionally offside before he was dragged down in the penalty area.

But just moments later, in the fourth minute, an excellent Declan Rice pass unleashed Leandro Trossard who scored with an excellent finish at the near post.

This proved to be the only goal of the first half, but little did anyone know that Chelsea were just moments away from implosion.

Mauricio Pochettino's side conceded three goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half, which included a brace for former Blue Havertz.

A short while later, in the 70th minute, Ben White also grabbed his brace, rounding off an emphatic 5-0 win to extend Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League table.

After such an incredible win, here are the positives and (subdued) negatives from the game.

Positive #1: Bragging rights and then some!

Winning a London derby is always a great occasion for players and fans, but yesterday's game offered jubilation of an untold magnitude.

To beat Chelsea 5-0, Arsenal's biggest win over the Blues since records began, is simply astonishing - and offers the Gunners bragging rights to be admired.

Not only was the scoreline astonishing, but the performance shown by Arsenal was something to be admired - and a clear statement of intent as we enter the final weeks of the Premier League season.

Chelsea have by no means enjoyed a successful season, but this win will offer the Gunners plenty of momentum ahead of the run-in - and the all-important bragging rights.

Negative #1: Ticketing fiasco continues

Perhaps the biggest negative actually transpired hours before the game, but was thankfully averted, mostly, after a last-minute decision on Tuesday morning.

It has been well-documented that Arsenal's new ticketing system has been far from ideal for fans, as a new ballot system has seen loyal fans missing out on tickets.

But due to the Chelsea game being postponed following the Blues' FA Cup progression, many ballot winners were unable to attend the newly scheduled game, but only original ballot applicants were able to obtain tickets via the ticket exchange.

This meant that as of early Tuesday morning, hundreds, if not thousands, of tickets remained listed for sale with fans unable to attend.

After pressure on social media, the club eventually opened the ticket exchange to all members, which saw tickets once again sell out, and the atmosphere at the game was admittedly electric.

Continued on the next slide...