Arsenal picked up a much-needed three points in the race for a top four place by beating London rivals Chelsea on Wednesday night, with goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and an Eddie Nketiah brace as he started in place of Alexandre Lacazette.
The defensive shape deployed by Mikel Arteta at Stamford Bridge allowed the Gunners to cope with much of Chelsea’s intense pressure and escape on several occasions to hit the Blues on the break. It was achieved without some key figures in the side, too.
Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey are expected to miss most, if not all, of the season. Takehiro Tomiyasu is on the road to recovery but has been out for most of the calendar year. This presents a puzzle for Arsenal manager Arteta to solve ahead of the weekend.
