We've recorded some big scorelines this season, but perhaps none more eye-catching than the 5-0 success over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.
To reveal why we were so ruthless against the Blues, Adrian Clarke has gone through the footage and stats to uncover five reasons why we put on a show against our London rivals.
The perfect start
Under pressure to win against an in-form Chelsea side that had surprisingly only been behind at half-time in three of their 31 matches, scoring first felt very important. When it arrived after just four minutes, it was an uplifting moment.
It came on the back of a beautifully constructed 50-second move, featuring 15 passes. The key part of the build-up saw Kai Havertz intelligently show for a pass inside a hole that Chelsea had left open between their central midfielders. Bukayo Saka’s pass into the German, followed by a cushioned lay-off to Thomas Partey, opened up a numerical advantage, and we made the Blues pay.
An inverted Takehiro Tomiyasu took Noni Madueke’s attention, so that Declan Rice’s wider position creates a 2v1 around Chelsea youngster Alfie Gilchrist. Once he was picked out by Partey, the visitors were in trouble.
A driving run from our summer signing followed before he slipped in Leandro Trossard for his customary lethal finish. It was our quickest Premier League goal against Chelsea since 2004, and it put us in pole position to win the game.
Running power from Havertz
Havertz delivered an outstanding performance against his former club, scoring twice to secure an easy victory. His link play was excellent, but it was his first-rate dynamic movement which proved way too hot for Chelsea to handle.
No one made more off-the-ball runs than the German, who has become so in tune with his teammates in recent months:
| Kai Havertz v Chelsea | Total | Team Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes Played | 72 | |
| Off The Ball Runs | 27 | 1st |
| Targeted Off The Ball Runs | 12 | 1st |
| Off The Ball Runs into Box | 10 | 1st |
| Average Speed | 7.53km/hr | 1st * |
* from starting XI
These two examples below, both courtesy of sublime passes from man of the match Martin Odegaard, saw him arc his run towards the ball before spinning into space beyond the last defender.
He hit the target on each occasion, with the second freeze frame leading to a majestic strike to make it 3-0. The timing of his sprints are fantastic, and his habit of surging between defenders is bearing fruit.
Our gifted number 29 enjoyed four shots on the night (all on target) and made two key passes too, but it was his relentless running that earned him the right to get into so many fabulous positions inside the danger zone. Playing alongside teammates who can regularly pick him out with passes, Havertz’s off-the-ball movement is perfect for this Arsenal side.
Winning it high
Another aspect of this victory that will have thrilled Mikel Arteta was our aggression in winning the ball back deep inside Chelsea territory. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea want to pass out from the back, but our hostility and proactiveness unsettled them right from the first whistle.
The Blues won possession from us inside the final third on just two occasions, but we regained the ball 15 times inside that crucial part of the pitch. What makes that stat even more impressive is that we were not reliant on one or two players to hunt down the ball, stepping forward to make tackles and interceptions.
Ben White made three of those turnovers, but in total eight different Gunners contributed to those important regains.
The defensive chalkboard below highlights how assertive we were at stepping forward to break up play. With so much pace in attack it was always risky to commit bodies forward for a press, but this positive tactic successfully put the visitors on the back foot.
Testing Chelsea’s tracking back
Pochettino’s side have conceded several goals in recent weeks that stem from runners not being followed in the wide areas, and that was also a pattern in this encounter. Various players were guilty of switching off, but Mykhailo Mudryk was especially vulnerable, never looking completely at ease with his positioning.
White, who delivered another fantastic display, made hay down that wing, constantly asking questions of Mudryk, who struggled to contain him.
For White’s second goal, expertly picked out by Odegaard’s pass, he timed another overlap perfectly, this time running off a ball-watching Raheem Sterling.
Set piece planning pays off
White's critical 52nd-minute strike eased nerves and opened a gap in the scoreline which the visitors never looked like recovering from.
The goal itself owed much to pre-match planning in the set piece department. Knowing Chelsea prefer to pack their own box with a line of zonal markers, we played on a reluctance to bring two players out for a short corner. Saka and Odegaard set up that 2v1, knowing Rice would also be a spare man on the edge of the box.
As Chelsea responded to make it a 2v2 they ignored Rice lurking outside the danger zone who effectively made it a 3v2. His deflected shot fell to White, who despatched a calm finish to double our lead.
Captain Fantastic - again
Odegaard produced a masterful display that was dripping with artistic imagination. For the first time in Premier League action our skipper created eight chances, and they were worth a combined total of 1.46 expected goals.
Two provided quality assists, and those through balls to open up the defence for Havertz’s first and White’s second were Dennis Bergkamp-esque. I cannot pay a higher compliment to the Norwegian playmaker than that.
On a night where every Arsenal player excelled, Odegaard remained a cut above. He was the game’s dominant player, enjoying more touches and passes than anyone else. Using that time on the ball wisely, he delivered a five-star performance.
Have a go at your analysis by digging deeper into the numbers or building your own chalkboard with our revamped Stats Centre.
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