Five Arsenal players shine with Aubameyang embarrassed in Gunners win

Arsenal reminded Manchester City that the Premier League title is not yet won this season with a resounding 3-1 win over Chelsea on Tuesday evening. Martin Odegaard grabbed a brace and Gabriel Jesus fired home a third from close range against a woeful Blues side. Express Sport runs through five main talking points from the match… 

Five players shine

Odegaard, Granit Xhaka, Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and Jesus were all sensational for Arsenal. Odegaard twice met Xhaka’s passes to score a near-identical brace in the first half, with Jesus bagging a third just before half-time. 

Jorginho’s control of the game from midfield might have made Chelsea regret selling the Italian in January, with the Blues lacking a grip on possession through the game. Trossard was brought in as a replacement for Gabriel Martinelli and caused plenty of problems. 

Emphatic message to Man City

If you thought the Premier League title was wrapped up by Man City’s win over Arsenal last week then this Gunners performance might prove differently. Arteta’s side are clearly prepared to take the fight right to the wire as they seek to regain control in the race to finish top of the league. 

City were not entirely comfortable in their 2-1 win over Fulham at the weekend, and it is not inconceivable that Pep Guardiola’s team will drop points before the end of the season. The likes of Brighton and Brentford seem the likeliest to beat the reigning champions before the end of the campaign. 

Of course, City have historically steamrolled their way to their title triumphs in the latter parts of seasons. But an improved Arsenal will be ready to take advantage of any slip-ups. 

Jesus shows Aubameyang why he was sold

Eyebrows were raised when Arteta brutally dropped Aubameyang following a string of misdemeanours in December 2021, before selling him to Barcelona. But the signing of Jesus has proved why the Spaniard was so at ease with his treatment of the now-Chelsea flop. 

Jesus is the all-round centre forward, capable of holding up play, pressing intelligently, and retaining possession. Ultimately, he also scores goals and possesses a winning mentality – borne out of his time with title rivals Man City. 

At the other end of the pitch, a tired and lumbering Aubameyang scarcely saw the ball. The 33-year-old – making his first top-flight start in 2023 – summed up Chelsea’s disjointed performance and was rather embarrassingly hauled off at half-time. It could be possible that he has played his final Premier League game. 

Lampard has the same issue as Potter

Frank Lampard has now lost each of his six games since returning to Chelsea. It is the kind of form that will see the iconic former midfielder struggle to get another Premier League job.

But there is a clear mitigation for Chelsea’s form under the 44-year-old. A whopping first-team squad size of at least 32 players makes it impossible to coach cohesive patterns of play, leading to disjointed performances where players perform as individuals rather than as a team. 

It is a similar issue the meticulous Graham Potter suffered with prior to his sacking at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea board have failed their managers by overloading them with a huge squad of players who all want to play.