Chelsea were thrashed 5-0 by Arsenal on Tuesday and Kai Havertz would come back to haunt them with two goals. The Blues completely fell apart in the second half, conceding four goals in 18 minutes. It was Chelsea’s second defeat without scoring in three days and leaves them 9th in the table.
Chelsea were reeling from their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City and will be shell-shocked after this result. It’s yet another disappointing result away from home. Arsenal are still fighting for the Premier League title and showed the gulf in class between the two sides.
Arsenal dominated the first half
Chelsea fell behind to a Leandro Trossard goal in the 5th minute. The 29-year-old fired an effort under Djordje Petrovic at the near post after a fast Arsenal break.
Chelsea couldn’t live with the Gunners’ quick passing and high-pressing, so they were lucky not to concede more. Havertz and Trossard each had more opportunities to double Arsenal’s advantage but couldn’t beat Petrovic.
The Blues came close to an equaliser when Marc Cucurella had the goal gaping, but he hesitated. Noni Madueke cut the ball back from the right and Cucurella nearly had an open goal to aim at. But rather than shoot first time, he took a touch and the opportunity was gone. Enzo Fernandez fired wide from the follow-up.
Chelsea capitulated after the break
Chelsea survived an onslaught from Arsenal in the first half, but they had no answer after the break. Ben White doubled the Gunners’ lead minutes into the second half, giving Chelsea a mountain to climb. A short corner wasn’t dealt with by Chelsea and ended up at the feet of White who slotted home.
Minutes later, Havertz would get on the scoresheet against his former club. Collecting a long-range through ball from Martin Odegaard, Havertz bore down on goal and chipped over Petrovic for 3-0.
Chelsea nearly pulled a goal back through Nicolas Jackson, but he somehow put an effort wide from the six-yard box. The Gunners would punish the missed opportunity, with Havertz bagging his second and Arsenal’s fourth goal minutes later.
Havertz finished into the bottom corner after being supplied the ball in the area by Buyako Saka. And White wrapped the game up in the 70th minute with a cross-cum-shot that beat Petrovic.
Chelsea’s wait for an away win stretched to six games in all competitions.
