Chelsea squandered the opportunity to overtake Leicester City into third place, as they succumbed to a loss against Arsenal. The Gunners needed just one goal to secure a win on the night, which was gifted to them by the opposition.
An Emil Smith-Rowe goal was the difference between the two sides, as Arsenal beat Chelsea in the Premier League. The youngster scored in the 16th minute following a howler by Chelsea midfielder Jorginho. The Blues tried to hit back, but luck wasn’t with them on the night. They missed some glorious opportunities and hit the crossbar twice in the closing stages, but they couldn’t breach the goal.
Despite a cup final on Saturday, Thomas Tuchel played a strong side against Arsenal. Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Christian Pulisic started in attack, while Thiago Silva and Jorginho returned to the team. Chelsea did have some notable absentees, though, as Edouard Mendy, Antonio Rudiger, and N’Golo Kante dropped out of the team.
Tuchel’s side started the match brightly and nearly scored the opening goal in the early stages. Havertz stole the ball off Pablo Mari, with the Spaniard stranded high up the pitch. The German brought the ball forward but – with only Bernd Leno to beat – somehow sent his shot above the bar.
Arsenal survived their error. Chelsea didn’t. Jorginho played a blind pass back to Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the goalkeeper off his line. The custodian did well to scramble back and keep the wayward ball from crossing the line but directed it straight into the path of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese striker picked out an unmarked Smith-Rowe in the box, who struck the ball into an empty net.
Chelsea came back strongly after the concession, and Mason Mount went close on a couple of occasions in the first half. Later in the second half, the Blues had a goal disallowed for an offside and struck the bar twice in the final moments of the match. However, unable to find a way past Leno in goal, Tuchel’s side came away with a loss in their latest match. They remained fourth in the table but have provided the chasing pack with the chance to close the gap between them.
