Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang endured a nightmare reunion against former club Arsenal after being hauled off after an hour at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea slipped to a 1-0 defeat to their London rivals with Gabriel Magalhaes grabbing the only goal for the visitors in a feisty affair. Aubameyang had drawn a furious reaction from former boss Mikel Arteta after his crunching challenge on Arsenal's Ben White in the first half, which earned the striker a booking.
But the ex-Gunners skipper was largely ineffectual and struggled to get himself into the game, making just eight touches of the ball before his substitution on 64 minutes. Arsenal centre-back William Saliba had dominated the Blues' striker throughout till that point, with Aubameyang cutting a glum expression as he watched on from the sidelines after his withdrawal.
Arsenal were much the better side during the contest and were more than deserving of their win as questions continue to be asked of Chelsea's current crop of stars. It was a match of few chances but Gabriel was on hand to hook the ball into the net from Bukayo Saka's corner to give the Gunners the edge they needed.
From there they didn't look back, with Aubameyang replaced by Armando Broja moments later but Graham Potter's side failed to test Arsenal's back line.
Arteta was clearly delighted with his team's performance in his post-match interview. "For such a young team, the maturity, composure and resilience they showed was phenomenal," he said. "Winning in this stadium against this opponent is another step for this team, to keep believing they can do it under pressure and against big opponents."
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And Potter was forced to admit his side were beaten by the better side. "We played against a team in a really good moment, they boys gave everything," he told BT Sport. "A huffing and puffing performance without the quality we need. You have to look at where the two teams are at, they’ve been playing together a long time. We’re in a different phase."
Chelsea have two more fixtures to fulfil before the World Cup gets underway later this month, starting with a daunting League Cup tie against Manchester City at the Etihad on Wednesday before travelling to Premier League rivals Newcastle on Saturday. Arsenal, meanwhile, also have two fixtures remaining. They take on Brighton in the League Cup at the Emirates on Wednesday and Wolves in the Premier League at Molineux on Saturday.
Rating
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Mendy 6; Azpilicueta 6, Silva 5, Chalobah 6, Cucurella 7; Loftus-Cheek 7 (Kovavic, 78), Jorginho 6; Mount 6 (Pulisic, 78), Havertz 5 (Gallagher, 64, 6), Sterling 5, Aubameyang 4 (Broja, 64).
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale 7; White 7, Gabriel 8, Saliba 8, Zinchenko 7 (Tierney, 78 mins); Partey 9, Xhaka 7, Saka 7, Odegaard 7 (Elneny, 87), Jesus 8, Martinelli 7.
STAR MAN: Thomas Partey. Ran the game.
STAR SHOCKER: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Hooked as Arsenal celebrated.
