Jonathan Liew on another poor night for Lukaku
Tuchel speaks!
That’s it for tonight’s blog. Thanks for your company - goodnight!
César Azpilicueta approaches Chelsea fans following their 4-2 defeat to Arsenal 😳 pic.twitter.com/cmeOjwcZvA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
Here’s that Arsenal penalty decision. Yeah, I think I got that one wrong.
"It's all kicking off!" 😡
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
Chelsea were left outraged at the decision to award a penalty. pic.twitter.com/0sUdWUlxES
This is a nice stat
2 - Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have both scored 10+ goals in the Premier League this season; just the third time two players aged 21 or under have done so for the same team in a campaign (Bridges & Kewell for Leeds in 99-00, Rooney & Ronaldo for Man Utd in 06-07). Jewels. pic.twitter.com/CeVp9fzTmX
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 20, 2022
Meanwhile, there’s been late drama at Goodison Park. Read all about it with John Brewin.
Having seen a couple of replays, I’m less sure about that Arsenal penalty. It looks like Saka held Azpilicueta’s arm and dragged it round his midriff, which is why Azpilicueta ended up facing away from the ball. I’d like to see it again to be sure, and I doubt it changed the result, but I suspect I (and, more importantly, Team VAR) got that wrong.
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Full time: Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal
Peep peep! Arsenal move level on points with fourth-placed Spurs after a madcap victory at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have now lost their last three home games, conceding 11 goals in the process, while Arsenal have ended their run of three straight defeats. It was a deserved victory - Chelsea dominated possession throughout but Arsenal were always a threat on the break and created the better chances.
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90+5 min Saka off, Lacazette on. He’s been outstanding tonight.
That’s a lovely moment for Saka, who missed the decisive penalty against Italy in the Euro 2020 final. He went the same way this time, to his right, but crucially Mendy dived the other way.
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GOAL! Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal (Saka 90+2)
Bukayo Saka seals a brilliant win for Arsenal!
90+1 min Gabriel is booked for that little squabble. I have no idea what Azpilicueta was complaining about - it was absurd defending, and a clear penalty. He was also booked.
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90 min: PENALTY TO ARSENAL! Cedric crosses towards Saka, who is ludicrously manhandled by Azpilicueta. He wasn’t even looking at the ball. Jon Moss has no doubt, though the Chelsea players are fuming and it’s threatening to kick off before the penalty can be taken.
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87 min Werner scurries down the left and tries to find Havertz in the middle. Holding does well to slide the ball behind for a corner.
85 min Tavares shoots over from about 50 yards, mainly to stop a Chelsea counter-attack.
85 min Mount gets a toe on the ball and then follows through onto Cedric’s ankle. That looked extremely painful, and eventually Jon Moss gives him a yellow card.
82 min Cedric bursts into the area from the right, with options galore, and then picks out nobody. Tavares retrieves the loose ball and blasts wide of the near post. That was another good chance for Arsenal, who have carried the greater goal threat for most of the night.
81 min Another Chelsea substitution: Hakim Ziyech on, Marcos Alonso off.
80 min Martinelli pulls the ball back to Saka, who slips as he tries to retrieve the ball. Then he gets to his feet and seems to be accidentally tripped by Sarr, but Jon Moss shows no interest in awarding a penalty. There were no real appeals from the Arsenal players either.
77 min In the last 10 minutes Chelsea have had 80 per cent of the possession. But in that time, Aaron Ramsdale has had the square root of bugger all to do.
75 min Mendy dives at the feet of Martinelli after a quick Arsenal break involving Saka and Cedric.
75 min Another change for Arsenal: Cedric replaces Emile Smith Rowe, which probably means a switch to a back five.
74 min Arsenal are sitting very deep now, challenging Chelsea to produce something. So far they haven’t managed it.
71 min For all Chelsea’s possession, Arsenal’s defence looks relatively comfortable. The crosses of Reece James feel like the biggest threat.
70 min A change for Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli replaces the potential matchwinner Eddie Nketiah, who scored one in each half.
68 min A win here wouldn’t take Arsenal above Spurs, but it would make them favourites to finish fourth. The main reason for that is that Spurs still have to go to Anfield.
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67 min An optimistic effort from Werner goes high and wide. Chelsea have pushed James to right wing-back, with Azpilicueta moving into the back three.
66 min Neither goalkeeper has made a save in this match. Five shots on target, five goals.
65 min Arsenal break and Sarr is booked for a foul on Saka.
64 min: Chance for Chelsea! James’ awkward, deflected cross is pushed away by the diving Ramsdale but only to Alonso, whose shot is blocked desperately in the six-yard box, I think by Gabriel.
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EDDIE NKETIAH MAKES IT 3-2 TO ARSENAL! ⚡
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
Arsenal in front for a third time! pic.twitter.com/vQh2IAGDhJ
62 min Alonso smashes a rising shot that is blocked by Rob Holding, who is knocked over by the impact but bounces straight to his feet.
60 min Chelsea make their second change: Kai Havertz replaces the sadly anonymous Romelu Lukaku.
60 min Some of the defending tonight has been imperfect.
Azpilicueta’s poor ball was nicked by Tavares, who fired a cross into Nketiah in the D. He controlled it beautifully on the turn, forcing Thiago to stretch to make a desperate last-ditch tackle. The ball ricocheted off Sarr, Nketiah and Kante before falling perfectly for Nketiah to poke it past Mendy.
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GOAL! Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal (Nketiah 57)
Eddie Nketiah gets his second!
55 min No penalty.
54 min This is a good little spell for Arsenal, who appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Nketiah goes over after a challenge from Thiago. It looked like a slip, though it will be checked.
51 min Loftus-Cheek is having a terrific game without the ball, really bullying the Arsenal players in midfield.
50 min Lukaku picks a loose ball and clips it into Werner, who tries to accelerate past the last man White. Fortunately for Arsenal, the ball hits White’s standing leg and rebounds safely. For a split-second it looked like Werner was away.
48 min Alonso’s long-range shot is blocked by Holding. Chelsea have made a strong start to the second half.
46 min Werner runs at White and flashes a shot into the side netting from a tight angle.
46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half.
Thiago has replaced Andreas Christensen, who had a nervous first half and was at fault for the opening goal.
Thomas Tuchel has had enough of Chelsea’s defending - Thiago Silva is coming on at half-time.
Half-time reading
Half time: Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal
Peep peep! While it won’t win any prizes for elite defending, that was all sorts of fun to watch. Arsenal led twice through Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe, but on both occasions they were ahead for only a few minutes. Timo Werner’s shot deflected in off Granit Xhaka - I think it will go down as an own goal - and then Cesar Azpilicueta’s classy finish made it 2-2.
45 min: Just wide from Smith Rowe! Odegaard again finds Smith Rowe in the D with a short pass. This time he’s surrounded, so there’s no chance of a first-time shot. Instead he produces some dizzying footwork to beat three players before cracking a shot just - and I mean just - wide.
44 min Saka cuts inside Alonso on the right edge of the area and teases a lovely cross that drifts wide of the far post. That was crying out for Mick Harford, arriving late to put the ball and four Chelsea defenders into the net.
42 min Mikel Arteta is giving the fourth official a mouthful about something or other, possibly the perceived foul on White in the build-up to Chelsea’s second equaliser.
41 min Xhaka’s shot is blocked by Azpilicueta, who then wears a cross from Tavares in the face. He’ll be fine.
🗣️"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐫!" 🔥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
What a first-half this is! César Azpilicueta makes it 2-2. pic.twitter.com/zGk4ecaF2A
38 min A beautiful crossfield pass from Mount is controlled on the run by Alonso, who then slaps the bouncing ball over the bar from a tight angle. A tough chance.
37 min Chelsea have switched to a 3-4-2-1, with Loftus-Cheek dropping deeper alongside Kante.
36 min “Sounds like a fun game,” says Dean Kinsella. “What has happened to Rudiger?”
He’s injured. Doesn’t sound serious so I’m sure he’ll be fine for the FA Cup final.
𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍! 😱
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
Emile Smith Rowe slots home with a tidy finish. What a game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/49R49xU1pF
34 min And now Tavares rifles a cross shot wide of the far post. This is great fun!
33 min Almost a fifth goal. Nketiah turns Sarr smartly, 22 yards out, and cracks a left-footed shot just wide of the near post. Mendy probably had it covered, in fairness.
The goal stands! There was a quick VAR check for a foul on White, with quick being the operative word.
It came from a throw-in on the left. Mount and Werner won the ball off White, who thought he was fouled, and then Mount curled a dangerous cross to the near post. Azpilicueta got in front of Tavares and poked the ball deftly past Ramsdale. Another terrific finish.
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GOAL! Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal (Azpilicueta 32)
Chelsea have equalised again!
30 min More good pressing from Loftus-Cheek, who then curls a dangerous cross that just evades Werner.
Less than 20 seconds after a game of pinball in the Arsenal area, Emile Smith Rowe put them ahead at the other end. It was an excellent break, starting with an indecently cool nutmeg on Alonso by Xhaka. Eventually Odegaard played a short pass to Smith Rowe, who ran onto the ball in the D and shaped a sweet first-time shot into the far corner. What a lovely finish!
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GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal (Smith Rowe 27)
Arsenal are back in front!
25 min Saka’s deflected shot is headed across goal by Nketiah and volleyed off target by the stretching Tavares. No matter: Tavares was offside. But Arsenal look a threat, especially when - shock, horror - Saka has the ball.
24 min: Chance for Nketiah! Saka teases Alonso on the edge of the area, then wriggles away from him and cuts the ball back to Nketiah. He slices well wide from 12 yards. That was a decent chance.
𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐎 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄! ⏰💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
An instant response from Chelsea as Timo Werner's deflected strike spins past Ramsdale. pic.twitter.com/a27YtmXASt
22 min Tavares screams with pain after a high challenge from Mount, who gives him a serve while he’s on the floor. The referee gives a throw-in. It was a pretty poor challenge from Mount, actually, and he’s fortunate not to be booked.
"𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓!" 🎁
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
Arsenal take the lead against Chelsea through Eddie Nketiah. pic.twitter.com/WSxdP3oPmr
19 min Mount swishes a bouncing ball not far wide of the far post.
Arsenal were ahead for only four minutes. Loftus-Cheek won the ball 30 yards from goal and gave it to Werner on the left. He cut inside and hit a pretty tame shot that took a deflection off Xhaka, who turned away from the ball, and spun past Ramsdale. I’m pretty sure Werner’s shot was going wide, in which case it will go down as a Xhaka own goal.
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GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (Werner/Xhaka og 17)
Timo Werner equalises with the aid of a deflection!
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17 min That was such a cool finish from Nketiah, even more so when you consider his lack of game time this season.
Christensen played a poor backpass, well short of Mendy, and Nketiah was onto it in a flash. He cut across the covering Sarr, taking him out of the game in the process, and clipped the ball confidently past Mendy. That’s an emphatic finish.
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GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal (Nketiah 13)
Eddie Nketiah gives Arsenal the lead after a mistake from Andreas Christensen!
10 min A poor ball is pinched by Loftus-Cheek, who pokes it forward to Lukaku. He moves away from Xhaka, into the area, and shoots wide of the far post with his right foot. A half chance.
9 min Yes, it’s definitely a 4-2-3-1 for Arsenal. Tactics are so darned moreish.
7 min Arsenal take a short free-kick to Xhaka, who flips a clever straight pass towards Gabriel in the inside-left channel. His low cross shot is kicked away by the keeper Mendy.
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6 min Arsenal seem to have switched to 4-2-3-1, with White at right-back. Maybe it was all a big bluff.
5 min: Off the line by Gabriel! Mount’s second corner, a big inswinger from the left, beats the flapping Ramsdale and is headed clear from under the crossbar by Gabriel.
4 min: Chance for Chelsea! Mount’s corner from the left is flicked on at the near post and ricochets around the six-yard box. Eventually if falls to Alonso, eight yards out, and his shot deflects just wide off Xhaka.
2 min Chelsea’s system is slightly different, a 3-1-4-2/3-3-2-2 with Kante playing in front of the defence and Loftus-Cheek further forward.
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🗣️"If you have a good experience against an opponent it can help"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
🗣️ "He deserves to play!
Thomas Tuchel explains his decision to start Romelu Lukaku against Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/GAycLuOW0s
1 min Arsenal have indeed straight with a back three. Bukayo Saka is at right wing-back.
1 min Peep peep! Arsenal get the game under way.
“I didn’t know anything about Steve Rowley, and don’t know much about scouting, but what a time to have worked as a scout!” says Jamie Tucker. “I imagine that scouting Tony Adams would have been an entirely different world to the one in which they scouted Cesc, and yet really not that many years apart. Another way, perhaps, in which that Wenger-era Arsenal seems to span the birth of Football Today.”
There will be a reduced crowd at Stamford Bridge the night. The sanctions against Chelsea mean that season-ticket holders are the only home supporters allowed at the game, though they will be a few thousand Arsenal fans in the away end.
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Arsenal’s formation There are some suggestions that Arsenal will play a back three, with Saka and Tavares at wing-back. We’ll find out soon enough.
“Edu and company almost got away with not fixing holes in the team mid-season but as an Arsenal fan when I saw Partey’s injury I knew we were doomed,” says Zach Neeley. “The biggest area of need wasn’t his position but skill at one spot can balance out lack elsewhere (plus I think his presence is key to better, consistent performances from Xhaka).”
Thing is, how do you replace one of the better midfielders in the world? He allowed them to almost cheat by playing 4-1-4-1; without him they were always going to struggle a bit. And then there’s the elephant in the room, or rather than Nou Camp.
The boy’s a bit special
Mason Mount is set to make his 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th Premier League appearance this evening, he's been key for Chelsea this season... 👀📊 pic.twitter.com/ygTomeKN9J
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
Arsenal will wear black armbands tonight in memory of Steve Rowley, the former chief scout who has died aged just 63. Rowley was responsible for signing many Arsenal legends, including Tony Adams and Cesc Fabregas, and was by all accounts a thoroughly decent man.
Tonight the team will wear black armbands.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 20, 2022
In memory of Steve Rowley ❤️
It looks like Arsenal will play two holding midfielders tonight, which proves that you really do need two men to replace Thomas Partey. He is a phenomenal player, good enough for any team in the world.
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I’ll be honest. When I saw this headline I thought, ‘What’s his problem?’ But Thomas Tuchel’s comments are as measured and eloquent as ever. If I was a Chelsea fan, I’d adore the man.
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Team news
Romelu Lukaku starts a Premier League game for the first time since 19 February, when he infamously had only seven touches away to Crystal Palace.
In all there are four changes from the side that beat Palace in the FA Cup on Sunday. Malang Sarr, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante and Lukaku replace Antonio Rudiger, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz.
It looks like Ben White will play at right-back for Arsenal, while Eddie Nketiah is preferred to Alexandre Lacazette. There are three changes from the weekend defeat at Southampton: Rob Holding, Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith Rowe come in for Cedric, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Gabriel Martinelli.
Chelsea (3-4-1-2) Mendy; James, Christensen, Sarr; Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Kante, Alonso; Mount; Lukaku, Werner.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Barkley, Jorginho, Saul, Pulisic, Ziyech, Havertz.
Arsenal (possible 3-4-2-1) Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel; Saka, Elneny, Xhaka, Tavares; Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Nketiah.
Substitutes: Leno, Cedric, Swanson, Azeez, Lokonga, Hutchinson, Pepe, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Referee Jon Moss.
Your Chelsea team news tonight! 🔵#CheArs pic.twitter.com/q5y8IKHLiA
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 20, 2022
🚨 TEAM NEWS
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 20, 2022
🏴 Nketiah leads the line
🇪🇬 Elneny joins the midfield
🏴 Holding comes into the back-line
🙌 COME ON ARSENAL#CHEARS pic.twitter.com/IOfpc8Cx1q
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There are three other Premier League games tonight, including Everton v Leicester and Manchester City v Brighton. Oh sod it, I might as well tell you that the other match is Newcastle v Crystal Palace.
More importantly, we have a special Clockwatch for those games.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea v Arsenal from Stamford Bridge. I doubt anyone connected with Chelsea will agree, but to the neutral liveblogger this game feels far more important for Arsenal.
Chelsea are going to finish third, barring a tale of the seriously unexpected, whereas Arsenal are involved in an increasingly messy struggle for fourth place. A disturbing run of four defeats in five games has wounded their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2016-17.
Injuries, outgoing loans and the inherent irreplaceability of Thomas Partey have left Arsenal short in recent weeks, and few people fancy them to get anything tonight. But a win or even a draw at Stamford Bridge would change the mood for the umpteeth time in their topsy-turvy season, especially as their top-four rivals all have imperfections of their own.
Spurs, despite Antonio Conte’s best efforts, are still Spurs, Manchester United are a laughing stock and West Ham are understandably distracted by the Europa League. To borrow a phrase beloved of Arsenal fans, fourth place is still up for grabs.
Kick off 7.45pm.
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