Arsenal football club returned to winning ways at the Emirates Stadium as they defeated their struggling London neighbors, Chelsea, to overtake Manchester City on the League Table.
Arsenal went into the London derby in the second spot on the league table, a point below Manchester City who still have two games in hand.
Fortunately for coach Mikel Arteta and his boys, they faced Chelsea that have suffered four successive defeats under their caretaker coach, Frank Lampard.
During the London derby, Arsenal’s captain Martin Ødegaard opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Xhaka picked him out while unmarked in Chelsea’s box. Immediately the ball reached Ødegaard, he stroke it once behind Chelsea’s goalie Kepa.
From there on, Arsenal took control of the game and doubled their lead in the 31st-minute courtesy of Ødegaard again. Three minutes later, the hosts made the game more difficult as Gabriel Jesus scored the Gunners’ third goal in the game.
In the second half, Chelsea were able to organize their defense better as the visitors could not get as much space as they recorded in the first half.
Chelsea’s improved performance paid off a bit in the 65th minute as Noni Madueke scored what ended up as a consolation goal.
The 3-1 win has pushed Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table with 78 points in 34 games, two points above second-placed Manchester City.
However, the table could turn again on Wednesday if Manchester City beat West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium. The game will kick off at 8 PM WAT.
As for struggling Chelsea, the club is still sitting on the 12th spot with 39 points in 33 games, just 9 points away from the relegation zone with five games left to play.
