Hector Bellerin says Arsenal’s victory against Chelsea to win the Community Shield is “a weight of our shoulders”.
The Gunners had not beaten Chelsea since 2011, when they won 5-3 at Stamford Bridge, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first-half strike on Sunday was enough to end the run.
Bellerin was delighted with the result and says it caps off a memorable pre-season.
"It’s a weight off our shoulders for the boss, for the fans, for the club in general"
“We knew it was going to be hard against the winners of the league,” Bellerin told Arsenal Player.
“We know that a Chelsea side is always physical and they have pace up front. We knew it would be difficult but the team responded well and we’re very happy.
“For a few years there have been a lot of games and we didn’t seem to get the victory against them. It’s a weight off our shoulders for the boss, for the fans, for the club in general. We’re very happy that we’ve started the season like this.
“I think pre-season, both in Asia and at the Emirates Cup, has been really good for the team. It’s been a great experience to finish the pre-season with a win at Wembley at Chelsea. I think that will be a big boost for the team."
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.