There have been seasons when Chelsea have turned up at the Emirates Stadium and parked the bus. “You know, I think 10 years without a title is boring,” José Mourinho said in response to criticism from Arsenal fans after a stultifying 0-0 draw in April 2015. On Sunday, though, there was no holding back from Chelsea. “I want to compete in the best possible way to win,” Xabi Alonso said after seeing his new side edged out by Arsenal in a breathless encounter. “Today we didn’t want to sit deep from the first minute. We wanted to be active.”
The plan worked at times. Chelsea maintained their habit of scoring early goals, going ahead through Morgan Rogers, and created further openings. But they were facing the champions and do not have Arsenal’s completeness. Shortcomings were exploited, particularly in midfield. Declan Rice romped through the middle at one point and the winning goal owed much to Reece James losing track of Martin Ødegaard as Arsenal’s captain strode through to fire past Emiliano Martínez.
