Arsenal crushed Chelsea 5-0 at the Emirates then held on to beat Tottenham 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. These back-to-back London derby wins mean that Arsenal now has 80 points and remains at the top of the league for now. Many people have bought Arsenal jerseys to show their support for this team as they compete for the title.
Manchester City can still finish above Arsenal and win the title if they win their four remaining Premier League games, though. Let’s dive deeper into these Arsenal wins.
Arsenal 2024 Season Part 43: Arsenal Defended Well Against Chelsea But Made Defensive Errors in the Second Half Against Tottenham
The Gunners defended well against Chelsea and kept another clean sheet as they routed Chelsea at the Emirates. Chelsea only managed to get a single shot on target in the entire match, despite some opportunities in transition. David Raya played well against Chelsea, making one save and commanding his box with authority as he usually does.
Ben White had a magnificent game against Chelsea, defending expertly and scoring two goals. Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba played well, too, although Nicolas Jackson did get past Saliba a few times due to his incredible pace. Thankfully, Jackson was unable to finish any of these opportunities. Takehiro Tomiyasu did a good job overall at left-back, replacing Jakub Kiwior. Madueke found little joy when he tried to attack the left side of Arsenal’s defense thanks to Tomiyasu.
Arsenal Made Defensive Errors vs. Tottenham
However, Arsenal made some major defensive errors in the North London Derby against Tottenham. Raya played a terrible pass in the second half that went straight to Cristian Romero, who had been looking dangerous all game. Romero scored and gave Tottenham a lifeline in the game. Raya did recover from this mistake and he played well for the remainder of the match, but it was a costly mistake from the Spanish keeper.
Additionally, Declan Rice gave away a foolish penalty late in the game as he kicked a Tottenham player inside the box. Son scored the penalty to cut Arsenal’s lead to one goal and Tottenham kept pressing for an equalizer for the remainder of the match. Thankfully, they didn’t get one and Arsenal held on to win.
Despite these defensive errors, Gabriel Magalhaes played very well overall and is the Man of the Match against Tottenham.
Arsenal hasn’t made many such defensive errors this season. However, the Gunners can’t afford to make these sorts of errors in their final three games, since they are all must-win games. Arteta will no doubt emphasize that point to the team.
Arsenal’s Midfield Played Well in Both Games
Chelsea did have 55% possession in the game against Arsenal. However, the Gunners’ midfield trio of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Thomas Partey played well and controlled the tempo of the game. Rice and Partey ensured that Chelsea only had a few goal-scoring opportunities and those almost exclusively came in transition. Declan Rice was also able to get forward more and help Arsenal’s attack with Partey in the team. Rice provided the assist for Trossard’s goal, as well.
Martin Odegaard had a great game against Chelsea and provided two assists, first to Havertz for Arsenal’s third goal then to Ben White for Arsenal’s fifth goal. Odegaard now has 17 goal contributions in the Premier League this season. It is reasonable to expect him to get to 20 goal contributions.
The midfield trio returned against Tottenham and played well, limiting Tottenham’s opportunities. Rice also provided the assist for Havertz’s goal via a cross from a corner. Partey-Odegaard-Rice is clearly Arsenal’s strongest midfield combination and hopefully Arteta will continue to play it in the final three games.
Arsenal 2024 Season Part 43: Arsenal’s Attack Overwhelmed Chelsea and Was Efficient Against Tottenham
The Gunners’ attack completely overwhelmed Chelsea, scoring five goals from 10 shots on target. Havertz played well against his former club, scoring twice. Havertz is the man of the match against Chelsea. Ben White also scored twice and Leandro Trossard scored Arsenal’s opening goal against Chelsea to complete the rout. Arsenal could have scored seven or eight goals against Chelsea if they had been more clinical in front of goal in the first half.
Against Tottenham, Arsenal got three shots on target and scored all three of their goals in a first-half flurry. Hojbjerg scored an own goal after Bukayo Saka put in a good cross before Saka himself scored and Kai Havertz scored to make it 3-0 Arsenal by halftime. Saka was dangerous throughout the match and as previously mentioned, Havertz played well in both games. Trossard was a bit less effective against Tottenham and had some shaky moments.
Overall, Arsenal’s attack did more than enough to win both games and thankfully, Arsenal got maximum points in both games.
10/10 Manager Rating vs. Chelsea and 8/10 Manager Rating vs. Tottenham
Arteta receives a 10/10 rating for the game against Chelsea. Arsenal were ruthless in front of goal in the second half, kept a clean sheet, and created many goal-scoring opportunities. Arteta receives an 8/10 rating for the game against Tottenham. The Gunners did start off well in that game, but did gift two goals to Tottenham leading to a nervy finish.
Arsenal Return Home to Face Bournemouth
The Gunners return home to Emirates Stadium to take on Bournemouth next. Arsenal already beat Bournemouth 4-0 away from home and Bournemouth is already safe from relegation. It is likely the Gunners will easily beat Bournemouth.
Check back next week for more Arsenal content.