As they defeated Chelsea 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium to go three points ahead atop the Premier League standings, Arsenal made a significant statement about their title credentials.
Leandro Trossard opened the score in an end-to-end first period, but Kai Havertz and Ben White both scored twice in a dominant second half display for Mikel Arteta’s team.
Three days prior to this decisive success, Arsenal had recovered from defeats by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich with a 2-0 victory at Wolves. Now, they lead Liverpool by three points in second place and are four points ahead of champions Manchester City in third.
With Liverpool taking on Merseyside rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday and City playing their first of two remaining games away to Brighton on Thursday, the focus of the title battle now shifts to Liverpool.
Chelsea’s ambitions of securing a European spot are severely damaged by the crushing loss, which is the team’s worst in a London derby since 1986. Chelsea suffered an FA Cup semifinal loss to City at Wembley on Saturday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta:
“I’m happy with the win and the amount of chances and goals we scored. Also the clean sheet shows the consistency of this team.
“We had to be more disciplined in the second half to do the right things and we created many chances and we defended the box so much better.
“I congratulated the players for making our supporters happy in a big London derby and it was a joy to watch them play. It’s onto Spurs now.
“They know what we are playing for. They are so excited and they are at it. Even the players that haven’t played much have been outstanding and that holds the team together.
“My job is to keep challenging and be demanding of them but to also make them believe they can do it because that is a very important thing.”
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