Player rankings as Odegaard fires Gunners to Premier League summit

Goals from Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus in a first-half blitz fired Arsenal to a 3-1 victory at residence to Chelsea on Tuesday evening, sending the Gunners again to the Premier League summit.

Wounded after a four-game winless run that will effectively have derailed their Premier League title bid, Arsenal began firmly on the entrance foot. Chelsea arrived on the Emirates in even worse type, with supervisor Frank Lampard admitting that his facet are “low on confidence and low on efficiency” after 5 consecutive defeats.

The Gunners penned the guests into their very own defensive third, urgent fiercely and feverishly to settle any nerves. Chelsea had accomplished seven passes outdoors their very own half by the point Odegaard stroked Arsenal right into a deserved lead on 18 minutes.

Mikel Arteta made a change to every line of Arsenal’s outfield lineup in a bid to “recharge the batteries” but it surely was a well-known duo that dovetailed once more after half an hour. In a near-carbon copy of the opening aim, Granit Xhaka swept the ball throughout the pitch, evading the purely holographic blue shirts to select Odegaard for a crisp first-time end.

This specific mixture of expensively assembled blue shirts struggled to regulate to the actions of their teammates, so had little likelihood of coping with Jesus’ tireless tiptoeing. Hovering with menace between the strains, Jesus darted to the again submit to convey down Ben White’s cross, rolling it again for Xhaka to stab in the direction of aim. Jesus was first to the rebound, sweeping Arsenal right into a 3-0 lead inside three minutes of Odegaard’s second.

Arsenal cantered out from the interval with the identical vitality and eagerness, twice going near extending a suffocating benefit mirrored by the oles that cascaded across the Emirates ten minutes into the second half.

The ultra-aggressive strategy of the hosts supplied Chelsea sporadic alternatives to interrupt. Ben Chilwell had compelled a superb save from Aaron Ramsdale within the first half and Noni Madueke clumsily did not even make an try moments earlier than decreasing the deficit. Sneaking behind Oleksandr Zinchenko onto Mateo Kovacic’s lofted go, Madueke unconvincingly bobbled the ball past Ramsdale so as to add an surprising whisper of jeopardy to the ultimate 25 minutes.

Chelsea supplied a late flurry of ahead exercise which by no means actually threatened Ramsdale’s web, permitting Arsenal to return to successful methods and the highest of the Premier League desk – till Manchester City’s conflict in opposition to West Ham on Wednesday at the least.

GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10 – It might get misplaced within the flurry of Arsenal targets, however Ramsdale made an important save when the rating was simply 1-0 to disclaim Ben Chilwell.

RB: Ben White – 5/10 – Supported Arsenal’s assault effectively however was liable to tuck inside a little bit an excessive amount of to assist out Jakub Kiwior.

CB: Jakub Kiwior – 5/10 – On his first-ever Premier League begin, Kiwior stored his recreation easy.

CB: Gabriel – 5/10 – Battling by a hamstring damage, Gabriel restricted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to lower than a sniff.

LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 3/10 – Uncertain when compelled to back-pedal up in opposition to the fleet-footed Madueke and switched off for the ahead’s aim.

CM: Martin Odegaard – 9/10 – An ideal instance of his newfound willingness to shoot with one contact.

CM: Jorginho – 6/10 – Mopped up a raft of unfastened balls in a sometimes understated show.

CM: Granit Xhaka – 8/10 – Charging across the turf with goal on and off the ball.

RW: Bukayo Saka – 6/10 – Protected the ball effectively all through, rising in menace as the sport wore on.

ST: Gabriel Jesus – 8/10 – Untameable at instances, bouncing off the blue shirts with ease and an air of disdain.

LW: Leandro Trossard – 6/10 – Drifting across the pitch with the potential for menace that did not completely materialise.

Substitutes

Gabriel Martinelli (59′ for Trossard) – 5/10

Kieran Tierney (74′ for Zinchenko) – 5/10

Reiss Nelson (74′ for Saka) – 5/10

Rob Holding (86′ for Gabriel) – N/A

Thomas Partey (86′ for Jorginho) – N/A

Manager

Mikel Arteta – 7/10 – Finally cajoled his workforce out of their rut with a efficiency solely tinged fairly than soaked within the uncertainty of latest weeks.

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 4/10 – Without being straight at fault for Arsenal’s targets, Kepa by no means conveyed any sense of confidence.

RB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 4/10 – Took the legislation into his personal arms at instances to cease Arsenal revelling in Chelsea’s mediocrity.

CB: Wesley Fofana – 3/10 – Buffeted round and bullied by Jesus all through.

CB: Thiago Silva – 5/10 – Kept the rating respectable with a goal-line clearance laced with ability at the beginning of the second half.

LB: Ben Chilwell – 6/10 – Offered an intermittent burst of thrust down Chelsea’s left flank.

CM: Mateo Kovacic – 5/10 – Arced a probing ball excessive for Madueke’s aim.

CM: Enzo Fernandez – 4/10 – Clumsily let Xhaka’s sq. go skid between his legs to tee up Odegaard’s opener.

CM: N’Golo Kante – 3/10 – Xhaka picnicked fortunately within the oceans of house which Kante left behind him by pushing so excessive up the pitch but hardly supplied any menace on the ball himself within the ultimate third.

RW: Noni Madueke – 6/10 – Provided the brightest flicker of hope amid the muddled gloom.

ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 1/10 – On his first begin for Chelsea because the November reverse fixture, the previous Arsenal captain had his first contact within the opposition half after 44 minutes, failing to regulate a go that trickled out of play.

LW: Raheem Sterling – 4/10 – An everyday thorn in Arsenal’s facet through the years scarcely broke the floor on Tuesday.

Substitutes

Kai Havertz (46′ for Aubameyang) – 3/10 – Scarcely made extra of a dent than Aubameyang.

Conor Gallagher (71′ for Fernandez) – 5/10

Mykaylo Mudryk (71′ for Sterling) – 5/10

Hakim Ziyech (79′ for Madueke) – N/A

Manager

Frank Lampard – 2/10 – Unsurprisingly failed to plan any profitable – and even identifiable – plan however could not even encourage any confidence in his workforce.

Player of the match – Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)