Chelsea welcomed Arsenal at Stamford Bridge earlier tonight as they looked to get all three points in the bag and consolidate their position in the Premier League’s top-four. Kai Havertz wasted a great chance to give the Blues the lead early in the game. The West London outfit didn’t take their chances and were punished in the 16th minute when Emile Smith Rowe found the back of the net after being set up by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Blues went into the half-time interval one goal down on the scoreline.
Thomas Tuchel’s men dominated the game in the second half and saw Christian Pulisic’s goal get chalked off by VAR. Chelsea were not clinical in the final third and suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss in the London derby.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against the Gunners.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10
The Spanish keeper made one good save during the game as he was mostly untroubled by the Arsenal attackers. He won’t be pleased after conceding an early goal which ruined his hopes of a clean sheet.
CB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 6/10
He passed the ball relatively well and made one good clearance at the back. The Spaniard got replaced in the second half.
CB: Thiago Silva – 7/10
The Brazilian defensive ace was strong in the air and pulled off a few crucial clearances inside his half.
CB: Kurt Zouma – 7/10
The French talent won the ball back for his side once and was a real handful for the Arsenal defenders at the other end of the field. He won his fair share of aerial duels but couldn’t manage to get his name on the scoresheet.
RM: Reece James – 7/10
James was defensively solid and engineered some excellent openings for his teammates in the final third.
CM: Billy Gilmour – 6/10
He made a good interception in the first half but got substituted at half-time.
CM: Jorginho – 5/10
The Italian midfielder’s poor backpass led to Smith Rowe scoring the only goal of the game in the 16th minute. It was a night to forget for Jorginho.
LM: Ben Chilwell – 6/10
Chilwell made a couple of energetic runs but struggled to create any real chances for his teammates in the opposition half.
RAM: Mason Mount – 7/10
Mount was a constant nuisance for the Arsenal defenders as he caused all kinds of problems for them during the game. He orchestrated several inviting opportunities for others around him but was not clinical enough in front of the Gunners goal.
LAM: Chrisitan Pulisic – 6.5/10
He had a goal chalked off by VAR. Pulisic was a real threat but ended the match without a goal or assist to show for his efforts.
ST: Kai Havertz – 6/10
Havertz wasted a good early chance to give his team the lead. He was relatively quiet in the second half.
Substitutes:
ST: Callum Hudson-Odoi – 6.5/10
He came off the bench and made two promising chances in the attacking third.
ST: Olivier Giroud – 6.5/10
The French striker caused a few problems for his old club but didn’t do enough to register a goal tonight.
CAM: Hakim Ziyech – 6/10
He added some energy to the Chelsea attack.
