Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal (Werner 17′, Azpilicueta 32′ | Nketiah 13′, 57′, Smith Rowe 27′, Saka 90+2′ pen)
STAMFORD BRIDGE — “Just like the old days, there’s nobody here,” the Arsenal fans chanted when the game kicked off and large sections of empty seats were evident high up in the Stamford Bridge stands.
And there was a sense of years gone by, of the better times, about this searingly entertaining, unexpected, mistake-ridden derby.
Whereas Liverpool vs Manchester United at Anfield the night before exposed the tragic gulf between two old, great rivals that left you feeling almost sorry for what Manchester United have become, there was an openness to Chelsea vs Arsenal, a chaos, a feeling that anything could happen – and anything did.
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It could be tasted in the nostalgia that settled over every element of Arsenal’s second goal, one that started inside their own penalty area and ended after a blisteringly fast multi-pass move up the pitch with a Thierry Henry-esque finish from Emile Smith Rowe.
It began with Granit Xhaka nutmegging his way out of Chelsea’s high press (obviously), continued with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka exchanging passes, ended with Odegaard rolling the ball into Smith Rowe’s path for the attacking midfielder to beautifully side-foot into Edouard Mendy’s bottom left corner. It’s probably the first time a ball has been passed so majestically into the net from outside the area at Stamford Bridge since Ronaldinho visited with Barcelona in 2005.
Only time will tell if this a sign of things to come, or merely the sort of result thrown out by the randomness of a derby meeting. If the new ownership of Chelsea and the departure of Roman Abramovich who readily ploughed billions into the club before Financial Fair Play existed will see a tilting of scales back in Arsenal’s favour. If we will one day again see a Chelsea and Arsenal manager square up to one another in the same way we saw Arsene Wenger tower over Jose Mourinho like two maths teachers after one too many at the end-of-term drinks in 2014.
But there are shoots of hope and promise in this Arsenal team. Smith Rowe, with the aura of one who can do anything with a football. Fleet-footed Saka, already one of the best right wingers or wing-backs in the country, scorer of the penalty in stoppage time to seal the win. Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale joining them in receiving recent England calls-ups. Odegaard showing subtle signs of the prodigy he once was.
Can Eddie Nketiah step up permanently if Alexandre Lacazette, benched after revealing he has been speaking to “a lot of clubs” with his contract expiring this summer, does leave? Two goals here hint at the possibility.
Nketiah was gifted the opening goal by Andreas Christensen, a player with perhaps half a mind already on Las Ramblas with a move to Barcelona pending and subbed at half-time. Though the Chelsea defender’s poor back pass sent Nketiah through on goal it was, nonetheless, a fine finish.
His second — Arsenal’s third — was composed of tenacious luck and dogged determination, the ball pin-balling off Chelsea toes before Nketiah lashed out a leg to beat Mendy. The 22-year-old who had not scored a league goal for 367 days became the first Arsenal player to score two against Chelsea since Robin van Persie in 2011. Nketiah wants only to play. Lacazette leaving could grant him that wish.
Fortune also touched Chelsea’s two goals, levelling the score each time to make it 2-2 by the break. Timo Werner’s shot from the edge of the box bounced up off Granit Xhaka then span devilishly under Ramsdale’s dive. And there were appeals for a foul by Mason Mount before he whipped in the ball that Cesar Azpilicueta turned past Ramsdale with a cute touch.
In a game filled with errors it could have been the perfect conditions for Romelu Lukaku to rebound from recent poor form. But it was not to be, the striker hooked on the hour, booed off by his own fans after one shot off target and nothing else of note.
The result will matter little to Chelsea, too far away from the top two for a realistic title challenge and — barring complete collapse — too far ahead of fifth place that Champions League qualification is at risk. But the three points matter a great deal for the team in fifth place who are now only behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference.
Remember when Wenger became derided for years of merely repeatedly securing top-four finishes? Just like the old days, they remain in the hunt to return to the Champions League for the first time in six years that would now be considered a great success.
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