Thomas Partey undroppable no more?
What a difference a year makes. When Arsenal's top-four hopes collapsed at the end of last season much of it was attributed to the absence of Thomas Partey (and to a lesser degree Kieran Tierney) as he was in arguably the best form of his career prior to sustaining a thigh injury and there was no replacement of equal quality.
As a result, the task for Mikel Arteta and Edu last summer was to bring in cover for the Ghanaian to avoid a repeat. Whilst that never materialised they did manage to sign Jorginho in the January transfer window but even with that deal the general consensus was he was nothing more than a backup player.
In fact, when taking into consideration the meltdown from some Gunners supporters on social media when Partey missed the home game against Manchester City in February it showed just how important he is viewed as for many he was seen as one of few undroppable players in the side when fit and available for selection.
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This is what makes Arteta's decision against Chelsea feel very significant. Regardless of how the Premier League title race has unfolded in recent weeks, Arsenal still had a job to do on Tuesday night and with so much at stake, for Partey to not be named in the starting line-up was a big surprise ahead of kick-off.
Now, based on performances against West Ham and Man City, in particular, the Ghana international could have no complaints about being dropped but for it to happen in a big game when he was fit nonetheless might be a clear indication that he won't be a guaranteed starter from here on in.
The Gunners are being tipped to revamp their midfield in the summer transfer window with Declan Rice the priority target and if that deal does get completed all of a sudden Arteta has real depth in the number six position which in turn reduces the over-reliance on Partey.
Ramsdale shouts at Zinchenko
Aaron Ramsdale needed to keep a clean sheet against Chelsea to have any hope of claiming this season's Golden Glove award and the fact he was unable to do so may explain why he got angry with Oleksandr Zinchenko after Noni Madueke had scored what turned out to be a consolation goal in the second half.
Just moments before that strike, the Ukrainian breathed a huge sigh of relief when he blindly played a pass that ricocheted off Gabriel Magalhaes into the path of Madueke following a swift counter-attack from the visitors but fortunately Arsenal managed to clear their lines.
Although that didn't stop Ramsdale from berating Zinchenko who did hold up his hand to offer an apology. However, he didn't exactly learn his lesson as he switched off at the back post just a few minutes later which allowed the Chelsea forward to nip in and give his side a glimmer of hope.
Whilst seated upwards on the ground, Ramsdale threw his arms out in Zinchenko's direction presumably not too happy with the left-back losing concentration at the vital moment thus denying him the chance to close the gap on Manchester United David de Gea in the Golden Glove race.
It's now seven games across all competitions since Arsenal last kept a clean sheet, they've only managed two at the Emirates since the turn of the year and to concede against a Chelsea side that have looked toothless in attack for the majority of the season was the one negative from the game.
As for Zinchenko, it's not the first time during the run-in that he has made a costly mistake, and in truth, his defensive weaknesses have been exposed. For that reason, it could be worth the Gunners keeping hold of Kieran Tierney this summer or looking for an upgrade otherwise they risk being punished at a crucial stage next season.
Pressure off?
Arsenal headed into the Chelsea game without a win in four, second place in the Premier League table and their title chances written off by many given the form Man City are in. So in many ways, the pressure was off. Pep Guardiola's side are in control of their own destiny and all the Gunners can do is win and hope for a miracle.
"For sure. We discussed that. We are at the top right now, we have four games to go," Arteta noted in the post-match press conference. "We have to prepare for Newcastle now. Let's see what happens, what we can control is to win our matches, and to do that we have to perform as well as possible."
Even if Arsenal win their remaining four games, they are not guaranteed to be crowned champions on 90 points as Man City can get to 94 with a perfect end to the season. Were the two teams to finish level on points, barring a spectacular turn of events, goal difference would rule in City's favour.
With that said, it did feel as if the players were relieved of any pressure against Chelsea. Jakub Kiwior probably couldn't have asked for a better team to make his full Premier League debut against, but it's worth keeping in mind that if City do drop points at home to West Ham and Leeds United - as unlikely as it sounds - the pressure ramps up again and it will be interesting to see the response.
Arsenal's next step
Gabriel Jesus now has 10 Premier League goals for the season which means he joins Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard who are also into double figures.
Yet the general feeling is for Arsenal to reach the next step is to develop a ruthless streak. This may sound a bit harsh given only Man City have outscored them in the Premier League so far - and by three ahead of tonight's game at the Etihad Stadium - but they let Chelsea off the hook.
"I'm really pleased with the first 60 minutes. The way we approached the game, the way we started, our energy. There was a lot of movement, we played forward, scored some great goals and really connected with our supporters and created the atmosphere we wanted," Arteta added. "After 60 minutes we should have scored four or five, we didn’t do that and after conceding the goal there is still a long period to play and we should have managed the game a little better."
Of course, every team would love to have an Erling Haaland figure that guarantees goals and if the Gunners can sign their own version in the summer transfer window - amid fresh links to Dusan Vlahovic - then perhaps this game next season ends with a bigger margin of victory.
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