Chelsea won 3-2 over Arsenal in the second week of the 2018/2019 Premier League match which was held at Stamford Bridge Stadium on Saturday (8/18).
Although as status of guest team, Arsenal just first kicked off the Chelsea defense at the beginning of the first half. Only, the efforts of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the first minute could be anticipated by goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
After getting a surprise attack, Chelsea could actually master the game. Patiently the Blues showly suppressed Arsenal’s defense. David Luiz kick in the third minute could make the Arsenal squad fierce. Chelsea’s hard effort finally paid off in the ninth minute thanks to Pedro’s goal. The Spanish player broke into Petr Cech’s goal after utilizing ball from Marcos Alonso. 1-0 win did not make Chelsea attack slack. The host can also have a ball possession percentage reaching 60 percent midway through the first half.
The pressure of the London Blue team’s barrage made striker Alvaro Morata score in the 20th minute. Utilizing Cesar Azpilicueta’s pass, Morata scored the first goal of the season. Left behind by two goals did not make Arsenal lose enthusiasm to get points in the London Derby. Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored from outside the penalty area to minimize the position using a gag from Alex Iwobi.
Arsenal were finally able to equalize before halftime after Iwobi scored the second goal of Unai Emery’s team using Mkhitaryan’s pass. The first half ended in a 2-2 draw for both teams.
In the second half, Chelsea and Arsenal played relatively well. Both teams both put pressure and threaten each other. David Luiz almost gave hope to the hosts public through a 74th minute free kick. However, his kick from outside the penalty box could still be ignored by Cech.
In the 77th minute Kepa’s turn in action saved Chelsea’s goal from conceding after defeating Aaron Ramsey’s direct kick. Chelsea were finally able to score in the second half in the 81st minute. Eden Hazard, who successfully passed Hector Bellerin, gave a pass to the Arsenal goal which Marcos Alonso greeted with a left foot kick. This result is Chelsea’s second successive victory this season. As for Arsenal is the second defeat in a row.
Player composition:
Chelsea: To Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Ruediger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso; N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley; Pedro Rodriguez, Alvaro Morata, Willian.
Arsenal: Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal; Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi, Alex Iwobi, Mesut Oezil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
