Ed Aarons' match report
Righto, that’s us done here; Ed Aarons’ report will be in here and on site in a few minutes. But otherwise, peace out.
Arteta tells Sky that Arsenal disappointed at Old Trafford last weekend, but he’s happy today as they’ve won an important game. They played a top opponent but his team played with “an unbelievable attitude” and are happy going into the international break.
The only thing Arsenal can do is win their matches, but they’ve had some of their top players out for months and no team has been able to stay as good when that’s happened to them. He then praises Merino’s workrate and adaptation to playing up front and he’s pleased to see another set-piece goal before, finally, asked about Saka’s return, he pretends to beetle off as he did last week, then returns to say there’s every chance his best player will return for the Fulham game.
I don’t know, obviously Maresca knows much more about football than me. But if he’s genuinely satisfied with how his team performed today, I really don’t know what he’s looking for.
Maresca thinks the result is “a shame”, Chelsea having been in the game until the end. He doesn’t think there was much between the sides, lamenting injuries, and is happy with how his side competed; “the game was there”.
He doesn’t think it’s easy to score against Arsenal, again praises how his team competed, and he’s not concerned about goalie, who was again poor.
“Don’t Chelsea have somewhere between 2 and 2.5 top players for every single position?” asks Alex Whitney. “Of any team in England, they don’t get the luxury of that excuse.”
This was their bench today: Jorgensen, Bettinelli, Tosin, Chalobah, Gusto, Acheampong, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, George.
Arsenal don’t play now until 1st April. Given Champions League qualification feels assured, they must now keep their intensity up for the Madrid tie, which is easier said than done when also trying to stay away from injury.
On Sky, they’re trying to show the best bits of the game. Good luck with that, lads.
Who would’ve predicted this when Leeds won at Bramall Lane just a few weeks ago?
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I can’t overstate how poor Chelsea were today. It’s not just that they failed to score but that they barely looked bothered to, their attacking play totally devoid of intensity and creativity. They’re missing players, yes, but there’s still no excuse for such poverty.
Coming up next:
Fulham have beaten Spurs 2-0. They move up to eighth, while Spurs stay 13th.
FULL TIME: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Arsenal go four points ahead of Forest in third and will surely be playing in next season’s Champions League. But can they qualify as holders?
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90+3 min Without Cole Palmer, Chelsea are as threatening as a pair of rubber underpants. Dewsbury-Hall crosses into the box, Gabriel heads back to Raya, and that is probably it.
90+2 min The resurgent Ryan Sessegnon has scored a second for Fulham, who now lead Spurs 2-0.
90+1 min Dewsbury-Hall plays a clever ball through the middle and Cucurella is on to it, but his cross is poor and Raya claims.
90 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
90 min Now a change for Arsenal, Tierney on for Odegaard.
89 min “Can’t understand Chelsea,” emails Colin Davenport. “They’re playing like a team that’s happy with the draw. Only, like, they’re losing….”
I know what you mean. There’s no devil about them, and they’re second to the ball far too often.
87 min Despite my snark, Arsenal will be getting a little nervous, though they’ve dealt pretty easily with everything Chelsea have thrown at them.
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86 min Two more changes for Chelsea, Gusto and Tosin on for Fofana and Badiashile. That should sort things.
85 min As I type, though, George takes a pass down the right, just inside the box, and stands up a cross for Cucurella … who can’t find the necessary purchase, plopping a header into Raya’s arms.
84 min I’ve criticised Sancho for a lack of intensity, but it’s not just him. Chelsea are so slow of thought, second to the ball far too often.
82 min “Was gonna suggest you’ve opened a massive can of worms regarding absent looking players and so started listing them,” writes Dave Estherby. “I soon gave up and will just happily agree with you about Sancho; He’s STUNK the place out today.”
It’s s ahem because he’s got such lovely feet and imagination, but without mentality and physicality, he’ll always be a luxury player.
82 min Another Chelsea change, Romeo Lavia on for James having been out for ages; welcome back, old mate. I’m not, though, certain how that’s meant to cause an equaliser.
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80 min At Craven Cottage, Rodrigo Muniz has given Fulham the lead against Spurs.
78 min Martinelli gets a knee to the back in a challenge with Caicedo, then goes off to be replaced by Nwaneri.
76 min The problem with Chelsea having Neto up front isn’t just the lack of a pivot, but that he’s reliant on others to get him the ball. He’s been his side’s best attacker, but hasn’t really threatened, whereas if he was coming from deeper and wide, he’d be easier to find.
76 min Off go the ineffectual Sancho, replaced by George, and the almost as ineffectual Nkunku, replaced by Dewsbury-Hall.
75 min A quiet period. Chelsea have been so tame today, but they’re about to make changes…
73 min From the corner, Rice picks out Martinelli at the back post, who heads down and wide.
73 min Rice looks to swerve around the wall, hitting Fernandez’s arse to win a corner.
72 min There’s a long wait before we’re ready to take the kick…
70 min Good work from Lewis-Skelly, who weaves his way towards the Chelsea box … until Forfana stretches a heavy thigh across his path. He really needs to be careful, but in the meantime he stays on the park and Arsenal have a free-kick 20 yards out, just left of the D. Raya races down the pitch to tell Rice something or other; let’s see if it works…
68 min “Re: Gary’s point abut home advantage,” says Robbie Hancock, “is it not also something to do with Premier League big teams’ stadiums not being intimidating at all? Arsenal today, City yesterday, haven’t exactly been terrifying!”
Maybe there’s a bit of that but when are we saying they were more so?
66 min “We haven’t seen too much of Sancho,” says Alan Smith, which is a generous way of putting things. I can’t think of too many players it’s easier to forget are on the pitch, though Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also proficient in this aspect.
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65 min Cucurella races on to a pass and gets to the ball just ahead of the sliding Odegaard, who ploughs through him and is booked. That’s three each now, a red card looking increasingly likely.
62 min Maresca must surely be thinking about potential changes. Problem being he doesn’t have much available; dare he try young Tyrique George?
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60 min Martinelli tosses in a cross from the right and Merino punches a side-footed volley … that Sanchez does well to claw out from on the line. Chelsea then move forward and when Saliba’s challenge on Fernandez concedes a corner, he punches the air at the crowd like something completely different has just happened.
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59 min Fofana chucks a spare ball on to the pitch to stop arsenal taking a quick throw and, finally, he’s booked.
57 min Nkunku opens his legs and carries into the Arsenal half but Cheldsea are immediately forced backwards. No matter, two swift passes – Badaishile into Fernandez and Fernandez into Neto, get them back up the pitch … before a shot is swiped miles over the top. The ref then books Partey for a tackle on Fernandez earlier in the move.
56 min “Good morning from Pittsburgh!” begins Eric Peterson. “I enjoyed Adam Griffiths’ observation about Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea and the Manchester City version of Jack Grealish. The irony about Grealish is all that “fun and unexpectedness” is exactly why Pep Guardiola signed Grealish in the first place. Pep saw a player who could play within his system but still bring some of that flair, and as much as Grealish’s post-Villa career has been lamented, I don’t think Pep was wrong. If you can stomach a wee bit of chaos and unpredictability in the squad you’re managing, you make your team harder to play against, which is a good thing. It’s like garlic; I dare you to find a dinner entree that isn’t made better by it, but heaven help you if you make it the main ingredient.”
If I was blaming anyone for Grealish’s current predicament, I’d start with the man himself. Is he doing everything he can to succeed?
54 min Gabriel is late on James despite half-trying to pull out and he’s booked.
52 min Fofana is penalised for a foul and though he avoids a booking, Neto disagrees with the decision, gets right in the ref’s coupon to advise him of the fact, and earns himself a caution instead.
51 min “In this Premier League season,” says Gary Stover, “the home side has won 40% and lost 38%. Yesterday in the five games the home side lost three and tied two. Liverpool apparently enjoys the best home support of any, yet their only loss this term was at Anfield, and after winning in Paris, they lost at Anfield to PSG. Home advantage, caused historically by crowd intimidation of the referees, has been virtually eliminated by VAR, which has created a fairer game.”
I’m not sure the sample size is close to large enough yet, and there are other factors to consider too, like the number of top-level players in the world never having been higher. Also, home advantage is a psychological thing too – humans tend to perform better when comfortable and well supported.
50 min In comms, they’re wondering if Lewis-Skelly is ready for England duty, a question I find totally redundant nowadays: he’s playing at a far higher level in the Premier and Champions League than he’ll ever do at an international tournament. I do not think Mikel Arteta would, say, sign Jordan Henderson.
48 min …. but Odegaard’s delivery is poor, Nkunku easily kicking clear at the near post.
47 min Martinelli, probably Arsenal’s best player in the first half, is soon into the second, first winning a throw then a corner off Cucurella. Danger…
47 min Colwill lofts down the middle looking for Nkunku, on Saliba’s shoulder; the defender does just enough.
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46 min We go again!
Half-time email:”Obviously, I want the team I support to win every game I watch, especially against a local rival,” says Kári Tulinius. “But when the only target the Gunners are shooting for is a silver medal, it’s hard to get too worked up. I can’t believe there’s another two months of this contest left to go. At least there’s the Champions League, until Arsenal inevitably fall before the irresistible force that is Real Madrid.”
I’m not sure I’d say Madrid are that – they’ve got amazing players, but little cohesion. I don’t think Arsenal will beat them but they could.
Half-time entertainment: there’s been a development at Parkhead!
HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
It’s not been great, but Arsenal lead at the break.
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45+3 min Since scoring, Arsenal haven’t done much. They need Odegaard and Rice to take control of midfield, but we’ve seen little of both.
45+2 min Martinelli takes on Cucurella and crosses, Sanchez again botching his flap, but Trossard can’t control and Chelsea eventually clear.
45+1 min We’ll have three additional minutes.
45 min Fofana lands awkwardly after contesting a header, clutching his midsection, but I think he’ll be OK.
43 min “I see what you’re doing VAR,” emails Zach Neeley, “taking a hands-off stance so that when you swing in later to micro-analyse something for seven minutes then make a nonsense decision, it’s all the more frustrating.”
My biggest problem with VAR – save the ruination of the world’s greatest feeling, a goal for your team – is as much a problem with laws, as regards drafting and application. I’ve been watching football 43 years and I’m also a qualified lawyer, yet I can see an incident from every angle, be certain what’s happened, and yet have no idea what the officials will decide is the case.
42 min Chelsea have, though, been a bit better these last few minutes.
39 min “Looks to me from my position lying on the sofa maybe regretting last night’s over-indulgence that Maresca has done to this Chelsea side what Guardiola has done to Jack Grealish,” says Adam Griffiths. “All the fun and unexpectedness has been sanded away leaving, well, this. Booo everything.”
Mourinho and Joe Cole is always my go-to example of that, although it’s worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo did it to himself sometime in 2007-08. I agree, though, Chelsea should be fun to watch given the players they have, but the problem all managers, but especially those at the Bridge, struggle with, is building something without getting fired before it’s finished. It’s a tricky line to walk.
37 min Now it’s Raya behaving in dodgy manner, Neto’s shot blocked and bouncing up before falling for Cucurella to volley. He makes a decent contact too but the shot is straight at the keeper, who somehow allows it to squirm out of his grasp and will be relieved to see the ball spin just outside the far post.
36 min At Parkhead, Celtic have just made it 2-2, Rangers having led 2-0 at half-time.
34 min Strong challenge on Fernandez from Gabriel, who goes down and stays down; Fernandez, displeased, offers him some moral guidance as Odegaard slips a pass to Martinelli, who wellies over the top.
33 min It’s not remotely apparent what Chelsea are trying to do here. We’ve barely seen their central-midfield three, Caicedo, James and Fernandez all struggling to get on the ball.
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32 min When that ball came in, Badiashile seemed to shove Timber, who spends a bit of time recovering; VART sees no reason to involve itself in proceedings.
30 min Rice finds Trossard on the left and he sees Colwill coming, flicking inside and through his legs, before wearing the inevitable scythe. Colwill is booked and the free-kick, swung into the box by Odegaard, yields a throw.
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29 min On the other had, if Chelsea were playing into Nkunku, back to goal, he and Neto both have the ability to play the kind of one and two-touch passes that might open Arsenal up.
27 min I don’t want to get after Jadon Sancho, but he’s so undynamic. I was amazed Maresca wanted him given how he likes his teams to play, and his lack of power and intensity makes him of limited use against a side like Arsenal – especially off the right, where he is today, because he doesn’t have the gas or strength to go at Lewis-Skelly on the outside.
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25 min Chelsea have offered nothing so far. Arsenal are faster, stronger, and more obviously bothered.
24 min Fofana fells Rice then treads on him. Rice fails to see the funny side, and VAR adjudges the force applied insufficient to impose a red card.
22 min No we did not contact our local turf accountant.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Merino 20)
It’s been a while, but set-piece again! Odegaard swings in, Merino runs towards, and his flick, intended as a flick-on, soars into the far side-netting. And that was coming – Arsenal have started with bad intentions, Chelsea haven’t started.
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19 min Nice from Marintelli, taking a pass from Timber and skirting around the outside of Badisahile – Chelsea are struggling down their left – but there are too many defenders between him and the men in the middle, so his low cross is blocked behind for a corner.
18 min It’s Partey down the line to Timber, who sends Nkunku one way than the other before crossing'; naturally, Sanchez flaps at the ball, which drops for Trossard, whose shot into the ground loops wide
16 min Contesting a loose ball, Partey plunges into a stretch, feathering the ball before introducing studs to Neto’s shin; VAR takes a look and decides all is fine.
15 min Chelsea have yet to muster a single touch inside the Arsenal box.
13 min Looking again, Cucurella quite clears arms the ball into his path. I’m not sure why that isn’t a penalty, because it was deliberately done, but VAR upholds the on-[itch decision then Rice scuds a low drive wide of the far post.
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12 min Perhaps nudged by Timber, Cucurella falls on the left edge of his own box, the ball coming off his arm as he falls. Timber then takes over, his low cross hitting a defender and forcing Sanchez to adjust position and push out, before Colwill clears into Badiashile’s head and Merino hammers over.
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11 min It’s not often we see the words “sublime” and “Roger Sanchez” in the same sentence, but EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
9 min Raya humps one downfield and Trossard almost gets on the end of it, then Sanchez, not atypically, passes straight to Martinelli, who dips inside Fofana and drags a shot straight back at the keeper.
7 min At Parkhead, the second half of the Old Firm derby has just kicked off.
5 min I watched a really good interview with Pedro Neto recently, in which he said because he’s not a big guy, he likes to initiate contact before the ball arrives, so that he can then move away rather than absorb the physicality of a bigger man. I can’t say I love him through the middle – his skillset makes me think he should be playing off the flank and running towards goal, especially when Nkunku is there for him to play off.
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3 min Immediately, though, Arsenal go again, Martinelli picking a nice cut-back that Odegaard misses, allowing it to reach Trossard … who should shoot first tie but doesn’t, taking a touch before curling wide.
2 min Rice swings into the near post but doesn’t get enough air on the ball, Timber flicking behind.
1 min Chelsea are looking to press high, but very quickly, one pass from Raya through the middle of the pitch finds Rice, and seconds later, Lewis-Skelly wins a corner down the left.
1 min And off we go.
Gosh, North London Forever; it’s not great is it?
Our players are tunnelled … and here they come!
Myles Lewis-Skelly is another – like James – I only had to see once to say “player”. I love his fearlessness and intelligence and like Saka – another in that category – I think he could excel almost anywhere on the pitch.
Maresca laughs that Palmer is “not in the toilet, for sure; Palmer had diarrhoea ugh, ugh*, last week. He should, though be back after the break.
Otherwise, he accepts Arsenal are ahead of them now, and offers very little else.
*was this just a chant in my primary school?
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That said, I’m far from certain James could’ve saved Tuchel – even winning the Champions League couldn’t convince Todd Boehly that good management outranks insufficient deference.
“Emphatically agree about Reece James,” says Rob Hobson. “I’m convinced that if he and Chilwell had stayed fit, Tuchel would still be manager. For me, James has the skill and engine of Ashley Cole with an extra stone of muscle on top. I sincerely hope his career won’t be a series of brief returns from injury.”
I first saw James in October 2019, in a League Cup tie against Manchester United. There was a moment Marcus Rashford got away and usually when that happened he stayed away, but James had the gas to catch up and the ability to make a proper tackle. Obviously there’s loads more to him than that, but in that moment i was sure I was watching a player.
Arteta says this is a big game and the players are focused on that. They’re excited to face Real Madrid and the international break is coming next so they need to play well and hopefully get some players back afterwards.
Where is the game? Arsenal will fancy Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to run off James and Moises Caicedo, while their left flank of Lewis-Skelly and Leandro Trossard will surely target Jadon Sacnho, unrenowned for his physicality or relentlessness, and Wesley Fofana, a centre-back playing out of position.
Chelsea, meanwhile, might feel able to commit more men forward than usual given Arsenal’s absent attackers. There’s not, though, much weakness in the hosts’ defence, so I’d expect Neto to dart in behind with the three behind him looking to move the ball quickly as they probe for space.
Also going on:
Email! “What perplexes me is why Arteta starts with Merino as a striker, rather than using him as the super-sub role that worked against Leicester,” writes Kieran McKintosh. “By that point there were some tired legs on the field bar Nwaneri, and the two combined for two goals. Lo and behold, when Merino starts as a striker he doesn’t get much of a look in. To me a wiser idea would’ve been to start with Martinelli in the centre and Newaneri on the left wing, then swap Martinelli for Merino about 70/80 mins in. But hey, I’m sat at home typing this and he’s at the Emirates. So we shall see.”
I imagine it’s not just about who is the better centre-forward, but about the physicality Merino brings. Arsenal will want to play into and off him, which isn’t doable with Martinelli, and I daresay his presence in both boxes will be useful at set-pieces. If we were a year further down the line, it’d be Nwaneri through the middle, I think, and I’m a little surprised he’s not playing off the flank today because there’s not much magic in Arteta’s front three.
So what do we make of Reece James in midfield, then? I guess I can see it because I think he’s a brilliant footballer who has the skill, will and brain to play anywhere, but I also think that if he can stay fit he can be the best right-back in the world. It felt like there was a time when England were arguing over whether Kyle Walker or Trent Alexander-Arnold should play there, but actually James, a mixture of the two, is better than both. Still, it’s great to see him back.
Enzo Mareca, meanwhile, brings in Benoît Badiashile and Reece James who, by the looks of things, will be playing in midfield; missing out are Cole Palmer, who’s injured, and Tosin Aderabioyo, who’s on the bench.
Mikel Arteta makes two changes to the side that drew at Old Trafford last time out: Myles Lewis-Skelly returns at left-back – though of course he also played in midweek – replacing Riccardo Calafiori – while on the right wing, it’s Gabriel Martinelli, not Ethan Nwaneri. Oh, and Raheem Sterling, player of the match in midweek, is ineligible to play against his parent club.
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I’ll write these down, then we’ll look at them in greater detail.
Teams!
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Martinelli, Merino, Trossard. Subs: Neto, Tierney, White, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Nwaneri.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Fofana, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Enzo, Nkunku, Sancho; Neto. Subs: Jorgensen, Bettinelli, Tosin, Chalobah, Gusto, Acheampong, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, George.
Preamble
There are few emotions more acute than disappointment. Though, on the face of things, it is more benign than its more intense relations – devastation, wrecked and so on – it is that exact benignity that makes it so powerfully consuming, a sense that things haven’t gone as the cosmos planned for them to go, leaving a lingering, nagging, feeble sense of entitlement, powerlessness and injustice.
Arsenal weren’t meant to sit 15 points off the top of the table with 10 games to go. After the surprise challenge of two seasons ago, they got closer still the following year and, fortified by those experiences, were expected – expected themselves – to have another serious tilt at the title.
Not so, and if that weren’t enough, the champions this time will be not a state-funded front under investigation by the football authorities and managed by the foremost football genius of the generation. After pushing Manchester City so hard and even injuring the man who makes them tick, it is Liverpool set to benefit from the subsequent drop-off. And because it’s happened slowly, without drama, there’s no sense of rebuild and repair, rather the constant irritation of opportunity spurned, with no guarantee it will return to a team now three years into a cycle.
However there’s a however: Bukayo Saka is nearing full fitness and might be available when, early next month, Arsenal meet an unconvincing Real Madrid in the last eight of the Champions League. Immortality is still not beyond them.
In the meantime, though, they must secure their spot in next season’s competition, with today’s visitors, Chelsea, keen to do the same. After a decent period early in the season, in recent times they’ve found it harder to hit a consistent level as Enzo Maresca seeks the best deployment of his frankly ludicrous resources. But they have the talent to give anyone a game and if they win today will be just three points behind their London rivals, bringing the various teams behind them back into the equation, which is to say disappointment may morph into devastation yet.
Kick-off: 1.30pm GMT
