Arsenal produced a sorry display as their dismal start to the 2021/22 Premier League season continued with a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. Mikel Arteta was already under massive pressure following his side’s opening week’s loss to newly-promoted Brentford. Arsenal’s performance against their London rivals is likely to turn the heat up on him.
The home side was second best throughout, and after Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea’s new signing, opened the scoring after 15 minutes, it looked like it could be a long evening for Arteta’s men. However, Reece James was left unmarked before crossing to the Belgian forward, and there was no way he was going to miss from just a few yards out.
Later on in the half, the impressive James once again found himself in acres of space in the Arsenal penalty area before unleashing a brilliant finish into the top corner. Arsenal may feel slightly aggrieved that they weren’t awarded a penalty late in the half after Bukayo Saka appeared to be brought down, but there was no doubt who was the better side before the halfway point.
Chelsea opted to control the action in the second half as Arsenal rarely threatened. Lukaku had the best chance of the half when his header was superbly turned onto the crossbar by Bernd Leno. Still, apart from that, it was mainly Chelsea doing a professional job as they joined Liverpool, Brighton, and Spurs at the top of the table.
Next up for Chelsea is a tough trip to Anfield where they’ll face Liverpool in what will be an early-season assessment of both side’s credentials. For Arsenal, the hard games keep coming as they travel to Manchester City, aiming for their first point of the season.
All key updates from today's game can be read below.