Read David Hytner’s match report:
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Do join John Ashdown for more fun and games:
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A reminder Rangers won the Old Firm derby earlier:
And that Erling Braut Haaland is now a Dortmund player:
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Some Chelsea reaction. “I give credit to the boys, credit to Jorginho,” says Tammy Abraham, towering alongside the Italian. “In the first 30 minutes they dominated the ball, they were popping us in midfield and then this man comes on and it’s a whole different ball game. Him coming on lifted us as a team.”
Full-time: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
What a turnaround by Frank Lampard’s side, and what a task ahead for Mikel Arteta after Arsenal lose four successive home games for the first time in 60 years. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring but a dreadful mistake by Bernd Leno gifted Chelsea a route back in before Tammy Abraham struck the winner with three minutes left on the clock. With more than half the season gone, Arsenal are closer to the relegation zone than they are to Chelsea – they are six points above Aston Villa and 11 off fourth place – after a run of one win in 12 league matches. As for Chelsea, they trail third-placed Manchester City by three points.
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90+4 min: Torreira stabs a volley well wide after Aubameyang did brilliantly to hook the ball into his path inside the box. That Abraham strike has shot Arsenal to pieces. Leno is still shaking his head in fury.
90+3 min: Abraham tries and fails to put the icing on the cake after galloping into the Arsenal box unchallenged. Mustafi kept backing off.
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90 min: Ainsley Maitland-Niles is booked as the fourth official indicates there will be seven added minutes. Up in the directors’ box, Edu grimaces. Arsenal have made a mess of this.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea (Abraham, 87)
A killer counterattack is ruthlessly rounded off by Tammy Abraham. Chelsea clear an Arsenal cross and break upfield, with Willian fleeing to the byline before cutting a ball back for Abraham, who takes an age to steady himself before swivelling and burying a shot into the corner of Leno’s goal. Lampard bounces down the touchline and Arteta tries to rally the troops.
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86 min: Arteta seeks change, with Nicolas Pépé replacing Reiss Nelson. It was the kind of goalkeeping error that may find its way on to the end-of-year bloopers reel. An absolute howler by Leno.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (Jorginho, 83)
A Christmas gift by Leno allows Jorginho to tap in at the back post. The Arsenal goalkeeper punches thin air as he tries to clear Mount’s cross, allowing the lurking Chelsea midfielder to stroke home unmarked. A head-in-hands moment for Arteta. There was a VAR check for offside but there is no reprieve for Leno.
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82 min: Lacazette is penalised down the Chelsea left and the visitors win an opportunity to swing a cross in, 25 yards from goal ...
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80 min: Chelsea have Arsenal as good as penned in. Lampard is urging his side forward from the touchline, with Willian and Hudson-Odoi leading the charge. Abraham has been too isolated for Lampard’s liking.
77 min: This game is beginning to open up once more.
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76 min: Craig Pawson has booked Lacazette for dissent after Jorginho, who is on a yellow card, clashes with Guendouzi on halfway, stopping the Arsenal midfielder in his tracks. Jorginho can count himself lucky.
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75 min: Mesut Özil feels the love from the Arsenal support, soaking up the applause before being replaced by Joe Willock.
74 min: Abraham, Willian and Mount combine and Chelsea carve open the Arsenal back line, with David Luiz whacking Mount’s cross in search of Abraham clear for a corner. It was an incisive exchange between the Chelsea trio. The resulting corner leads to Abraham towering above his marker, only to nod straight at Bernd Leno.
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73 min: Another booking, this time for Torreira for tugging on Mount’s shirt. Arsenal have moved deeper, Chelsea are going the other way.
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72 min: Lacazette buys Arsenal a free-kick after a challenge by Jorginho. Some much-needed respite for Arteta’s side, who have begun to fade.
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70 min: Hudson-Odoi replaces Kovacic, who has had better games.
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69 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi has been given a pep talk by Joe Edwards, the Chelsea assistant first-team coach. Lampard is not hanging around; he will feel Hudson-Odoi can hurt an Arsenal defence that have kept just three clean sheets in the league all season.
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66 min: Lamptey shoots infield before slipping Abraham in inside the box. Abraham delays taking the shot on, subsequently allowing David Luiz to bite back at his man. In the end Abraham’s shot is blocked and the chance dissipates.
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65 min: Chelsea are patiently probing, seemingly waiting to strike. Frank Lampard’s side are in the ascendency. Can Arsenal turn the tide back in their favour? They have not had too much to shout about in this half.
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62 min: Mustafi and Rüdiger are back on their feet and moving. Good news. Back to the action, then. And Kanté’s influence seems to be growing. Arsenal’s grasp on this game is not as tight as it was.
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60 min: A lengthy stoppage – both players are continuing to receive treatment for that clash of heads – allows Chelsea to make a change. Fikayo Tomori, who has struggled at right-back, is replaced by the 19-year-old defender Tariq Lamptey, who is on for his Premier League debut. Among those up in the posh seats are George Graham, Petr Cech and the England assistant Steve Holland.
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57 min: Chelsea are beginning to put a few building blocks together. They win a corner through Kanté and the Frenchman ends up whipping a dangerous ball into the box after Willian rolled the ball into his feet. Leno punches Kanté’s cross clear and then there is a stoppage after a clash of heads between Mustafi and Rüdiger. Mustafi had done brilliantly to make life difficult.
55 min: Lacazette is riled after breezing beyond Jorginho, who then tugs at the Arsenal forward’s shirt. Pawson has no choice but to book the Italy midfielder, who is desperate to stay out of further trouble. As he lays on the floor, a mini melee ensues but it is all relatively tame and the fire soon goes out.
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54 min: N’Golo Kanté robs Özil on the edge of the Chelsea box before driving upfield and freeing Willian. In the end Chelsea make a hash of it and the move breaks down but Chelsea are at least asking questions of an Arsenal team that were untroubled in the first half. And now things are spicing up ...
52 min: “This isn’t a particularly rancorous game, but it would be amazing if there isn’t a red card before the end – and Mustafi hasn’t even committed a bad tackle yet,” emails Charles Antaki. “Plenty of time.”
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50 min: Arteta is livid as Nelson is upended by Zouma after ghosting past Jorginho. Nelson is adamant it is a foul but Craig Pawson is unmoved.
48 min: Chelsea have arguably played better in the opening three minutes of this second half than the entire first 45 minutes. Another ball in to Abraham causes panic in the Arsenal box before David Luiz ushers it back to Leno. Chelsea’s tails are up and Arsenal could do with extinguishing the visitors’ newfound optimism.
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47 min: David Luiz is booked for a clumsy foul on Willian. Cue a hearty rendition of ‘Chelsea reject’ chants from the pocket of away supporters. The visitors earn a chance to fizz a ball into the box, 30 yards from goal. Mount plays a looping ball towards the back post and it is headed back across goal, before dropping to Kanté, who volleys wide. A decent chance.
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46 min: Lacazette rolls the ball to Aubameyang and, just like that, Arsenal get the second half started at the Emirates Stadium.
Half-time encouragement for Arsenal, courtesy of Opta: this is the 16th time Arsenal have led Chelsea at half-time in a Premier League tie – they have never lost against them from this position, winning 12 games and drawing three ...
More on that Erling Braut Haaland news: Borussia Dortmund have pulled off a coup to land the Norway striker on a deal until 2024. The 19-year-old has scored 16 goals in 14 appearances in the Austrian top division this season:
Half-time: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 13th goal of the season is the difference at the interval and, in truth, Arsenal have been far superior to Chelsea from start to finish. As a result, Frank Lampard goes jogging down the tunnel as soon as Craig Pawson blows his whistle. In the final minute of first-half stoppage-time Aubameyang proved he is happy to do the dirty work, too, making a fine block to deny Fikayo Tomori a clean shot at goal. So far, so good for Mikel Arteta, whose side could have doubled their advantage through Lacazette.
45 min: There will be five added minutes.
44 min: David Luiz goes flying through on N’Golo Kanté after beating the Chelsea midfielder to the ball. Kanté looks despairingly at Craig Pawson, who presumably did not see David Luiz’s stupidity. It was silly, more than anything.
43 min: Aubameyang rattles the side netting! Saka slides the forward in inside the box and the Arsenal skipper opts to take the shot on early. And why not? He has 13 goals for the season, after all. He darts into plenty of space between the Chelsea defenders but his shot zooms into the side netting.
42 min: Tomori does well to intervene just as Saka seemed to be making hay down the left. Arsenal are probing in search of a second after going a little cold following the arrival of Jorginho, who has brought a sense of calm to Chelsea.
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40 min: A nugget of breaking news hundreds of miles from the Emirates Stadium ... Erling Braut Haaland has signed for Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old joins from RB Salzburg.
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36 min: Chelsea should equalise! They win a corner after upping the ante, with Abraham driving at the Arsenal backline and, when the inswinger comes in, Azpilicueta flicks it on and it drops kindly at the back post for Kurt Zouma but he cannot make a connection. Chelsea have been vastly improved since Jorginho stepped on to the field and since switching to a 4-3-3. In the buildup to that corner, Abraham was adamant Guendouzi fouled him inside the box – the Arsenal midfielder tugged at his shirt – but the contact was relatively tame. The VAR was having none of it, anyway.
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34 min: Here comes Jorginho. Emerson Palmieri is the player sacrificed; he has endured a forgettable half-hour or so. Lampard looks a picture of calm but the Chelsea manager must be seething inside. His side have been second best in every department. Arsenal have been lapping it up.
33 min: Antonio Rüdiger is booked for a crude challenge on Torreira. Azpilicueta escaped without a yellow card for that tackle a moment ago but Chelsea have been keeping the referee Craig Pawson busy.
32 min: César Azpilicueta is the latest Chelsea player to be pulled up for a foul, this time on Lacazette after neat buildup play by Aubameyang. Chelsea cannot get near Arsenal, who have been unusually assured. Arteta will be delighted. Saying that, they still only have a one-goal buffer despite their dominance.
30 min: And now N’Golo Kanté picks up a yellow card for manhandling Lucas Torreira. Chelsea have been shocking, so much so that it seems Lampard, Jody Morris and Joe Edwards are seeking changes. Jorginho looks ready for action.
29 min: Mount is booked for a late challenge on Maitland-Niles.
28 min: Has this been Arsenal’s best 28 minutes of the season? They have been dynamic, organised and aggressive. Chelsea, on the other hand ..
25 min: Chelsea still haven’t started.
22 min: Chambers limps off without the need for a stretcher – but his game is over. Mustafi replaces the Arsenal defender.
21 min: Shkodran Mustafi is stripped to come on ...
20 min: Calum Chambers is in trouble. The Arsenal defender is not going to be able to carry on after landing awkwardly in an innocuous challenge with Abraham. Chambers requires treatment, which will allow Chelsea some respite. They have been under the cosh from the get-go.
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17 min: Arsenal almost double their lead! Nelson does brilliantly down the right flank, bending a wonderful cross towards the back post, where Aubameyang nonchalantly lays a divine ball off for Lacazette. The striker dawdles ever so slightly and N’Golo Kanté is able to make life difficult. It would have capped a gorgeous attacking Arsenal move. And it came moments after Lacazette lost his footing on the edge of the box under pressure from Kurt Zouma. At one point the referee Craig Pawson looked set to blow his whistle but Lacazette soldiered on before eventually surrendering possession. Arsenal twice had Chelsea on the ropes.
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16 min: Arteta asked for aggression from his Arsenal side and it is a case of so far so good. They’re on the front foot. Chelsea are wilting. They’re all over the place. Blue shirts must have had only a handful of touches.
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15 min: Tammy Abraham catches Lucas Torreira on halfway, and ends up injuring himself in the process. Torreira is also momentarily down. Both are soon up and moving, though. Chelsea are struggling to thread passes together. They’re struggling.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Aubameyang, 13)
Who else? Aubameyang heads home after Chambers diverted an Özil corner towards the back post, where the Arsenal skipper was lurking. Arteta punches the air. Arsenal reap the rewards after an early, convincing swell of pressure. Aubameyang has scored half of Arsenal’s 26 league goals this season. Not bad going.
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11 min: Willian rolls the ball to Mount, who wellies it at goal! Quick thinking by Chelsea and the Arsenal goalkeeper Leno gets a little good fortune after failing to take all of the sting out of Mount’s strike. It bounces to safety and Arsenal aim to fly forward down the other end through Maitland-Niles.
10 min: Guendouzi picks up a booking. A clumsy foul on Willian, just as the Chelsea midfielder was bouncing towards the box. Chelsea win a free-kick on the edge of the 18-yard box. Willian and Mount are stood over it. It’s way out on the left flank. Presumably one of them will lift it into the box ...
8 min: David Luiz powers a free-kick at Kepa from 25 yards! It’s a routine save for the Chelsea goalkeeper but another positive tick in the box for Arsenal, who have made a brilliant start in Arteta’s first home game in charge. The free-kick stemmed from Tomori clobbering a freewheeling Mesut Özil.
7 min: Big news out of Hertha Berlin ... Salomon Kalou has been excused from training so that he can find a new club. As for Granit Xhaka, who is absent at the Emirates this afternoon, the Bundesliga club are mightily keen on completing a deal. Let’s watch this space on that one. His omission makes a January departure seem inevitable. Back to the football ...
5 min: David Luiz goes for an overhead kick! A wondrous, spectacular attempt ... but it doesn’t come off for the Arsenal defender against his former club. The Brazilian tried to hook the ball goalwards from a corner under pressure from Rüdiger. It bobbles wide and Chelsea earn some early respite.
3 min: Tomori is over-exuberant in the challenge on Reiss Nelson after the winger latches on to a neat flick by Mesut Özil. The subsequent free-kick is floated in from the right but Chelsea head it clear. Lampard’s side are yet to settle. Arsenal will be happy with this high-tempo start, that’s for sure.
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2 min: Arsenal are hogging the ball in the early stages. Chelsea are yet to get a whiff. A reminder this a meeting between the division’s youngest managers (Arteta is 37 and Lampard 41). Arsenal surge down the right ...
1 min: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks pumped. David Luiz nudges the ball out of defence and the Arsenal captain skips a couple of challenges before trying to breeze beyond Antonio Rüdiger. Encouraging start, and one that has whipped up the home faithful, just as Mikel Arteta wanted.
Peeeeeeeeep!
Chelsea get things started. Mount rolls the ball to Kovacic.
Here come the teams at the Emirates ...
Lampard speaks. “We have been better away from home recently but every game you start again,” he says. “We can’t expect anything just because we had a good [away] result last week. We have to park the home form because the next two games we are away from home and then we will deal with that. It is part of the process and we cannot be inconsistent if we want to get to where we want to be. Every game is different, Arsenal are slightly unpredictable with a new manager coming in, who I’m sure is very keen to imprint his ideas on how they play.”
“Özil played very well v Bournemouth, and with a few finishes from Lacazette, Arsenal could have had another win on the road,” emails Kim Doyle from Maryland. “A performance by Özil, keeping the ball in the final third of the pitch is crucial for Arsenal. As he goes, so goes the Gunners on the offensive. The defence has to avoid mistakes, especially in the first 20 minutes.”
Indeed, Arteta stopped short of waxing lyrical of Özil but was let it be known he was impressed with his display. “He worked and could have been the difference; we could have scored three or four goals from his balls through,” Arteta said. “To be fair his attitude in training since the day I walked into the building has been incredible. I said I was going to give a clean slate.”
Across London, some news:
David Moyes is set to make an unlikely return to West Ham United, who have asked the Scot to save them from relegation for the second time in three seasons after firing Manuel Pellegrini. Mario Husillos, a close Pellegrini ally, has also left his role as director of football after a series of mistakes in the transfer market.
Read David Hytner’s big match preview:
Do not make David Luiz angry. It is rarely a good idea, as Chelsea have discovered to their cost, and Frank Lampard looked as though he could see the value in treading carefully as he prepared for Sunday’s derby, when he will come up against his one-time teammate and the player he sold in August.
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Essential pre-match reading:
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The last time Arteta duelled with Lampard? 13 September 2014. Sort of. Arteta was a stoppage-time substitute at the Emirates Stadium, where Lampard made his long-awaited City debut – but it only lasted 45 minutes with the midfielder, then on loan from New York City, booked and then hooked in favour of Samir Nasri at the interval. The game finished 2-2, with Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sánchez on scoresheet for Arsenal and Sergio Agüero and Martín Demichelis coming up with the goods for City. In total the pair played against each other 10 times during their playing careers, with Arteta winning three, Lampard two and the other five matches being drawn.
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Team news news: Granit Xhaka misses out through a mysterious illness, 48 hours on from his agent saying that the midfielder was dead keen on a move to Hertha Berlin. A €25m deal has been mooted by the Bundesliga club. Arteta makes two changes from the draw at Bournemouth on Boxing Day, with Guendouzi starting alongside Torreira in midfeild, while Calum Chambers is preferred to Sokratis. The 18-year-old forward Tyreece John-Jules is on the Arsenal bench. Meanwhile Lampard drops Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jorginho to the bench, with Kovacic and Mount recalled to action. The 19-year-old defender Tariq Lamptey makes the bench.
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The teams!
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Maitland-Niles, Chambers, David Luiz, Saka; Torreira, Guendouzi; Nelson, Özil, Aubameyang; Lacazette
Subs: Martínez, Mustafi, Sokratis, Willock, Smith-Rowe, Pépé, John-Jules
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Arrizabalaga; Rüdiger, Zouma, Tomori, Azpilicueta; Kanté, Kovacic; Emerson, Willian, Mount; Abraham
Subs: Caballero, Christensen, Batshuayi, Barkley, Hudson-Odoi, Lamptey, Jorginho
Referee: Craig Pawson
Preamble
Mikel Arteta touched on the importance of getting the Arsenal fans back onside after yielding a point from his first game in charge and there is no better occasion to rejuvenate and re-energise an alarming swell of apathetic supporters than with victory over Chelsea. An encouraging performance at Bournemouth on Boxing Day provided an immediate boost but Arteta and Arsenal require sufficiently more. They are 13th in the table and on a miserable run of one win in 14 matches; they can ill afford for things to further sour as they hover six points above the relegation zone. It does not bear thinking about but defeat for Arsenal would spell a fourth successive home loss for the first time in 60 years and extend their winless run at the Emirates Stadium to seven matches. “I don’t look at the games [coming up] against Chelsea or [Manchester] United – it’s now. At the moment the urgency is now.”
Frank Lampard also has much work to do. After a blistering start to life back at Stamford Bridge – Chelsea won seven games on the bounce between September and October – they have lost five of their last seven league matches, including scarring home defeats to Southampton, Bournemouth and West Ham. Another slip could prove damaging for a Chelsea side already clinging on to fourth place, with a cluster of teams from Manchester United to Sheffield United ready to usurp them in the table. Mateo Kovacic is expected to return to the starting lineup following suspension, while Christian Pulisic is also poised to return. “We’ve got to be brutal with ourselves and say ‘it’s all well and good beating Tottenham [2-0 last Sunday] and feeling on top of the world but we need to reproduce in different ways and against different opposition’.”
Kick-off: 2pm (GMT)
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