For differing reasons, then, neither manager leaves the Bridge happy tonight. But Arsenal fans will take that, as their side complete a first league double over Chelsea for 17 years. Jacob Steinberg’s report is here; clickity click! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
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Mikel Arteta, beyond furious, talks to Sky. “Nothing is broken. Inside nothing is broken. They will try to put things on me that I never said. You can see the spirit of the team from the first minute. You can see that. You can never doubt their efforts and how much they try. I said that if I don’t get 120 percent off each player, it is my fault and my responsibility. And it wasn’t like that in the press, and I am so annoyed with that. My players I will defend in front of anybody for the rest of the time that I am here, because they deserve that, because they earn it every single day. I don’t deserve that. The players give me everything every single day. I am really happy with a lot of things that we have done tonight. We had to dig in. We did it. I know the chemistry we have, not only with the players but all the coaching staff and the board. They cannot touch that. And if they try to touch it, it can be with opinions, but not with something that I never said. I am not taking that, and it’s the first time I have to make my point.”
The always-entertaining and extremely likeable Thomas Tuchel goes into full self-flagellation mode on Sky Sports. “It is totally our fault, nobody else’s. We lost the game, it is totally our responsibility. We had huge chances. We made more or less an own goal a total gift. Overall we were not sharp enough, we could not put up the same intensity as usual. Maybe it was too many changes from last match, and I take full responsibility for that. Maybe it is the last wake-up call for all of us. I felt it a little bit coming in training yesterday and I am a bit unlucky that it is proven today on the pitch. I regret ... but it is like this, we could have, we could have, we could have but we didn’t. It is not on the schedule. We had three days, we had a good run and were in a good mood, but the choices were not so good on my side for the line-up so this is on me. We were unlucky but we did everything today to lose. I’m not happy with my line-up, I should not have done it like this. It is something in particular but I will not tell you!”
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Reece James speaks with no-nonsense honesty to Sky. “We made a mistake to lead to the goal and didn’t take our chances. We only have ourselves to look at for the loss, though on another day maybe the game goes differently. We had chances to put the game to bed early on, it was our own fault. The games come thick and fast, players come in and out, we all put in 100 percent, and you need to understand we’re going to get bad sometimes. It doesn’t affect us in any way, we are still fighting to win every game, and win every competition we’re in. Obviously it’s disappointing to lose, but we can’t take negativity into tomorrow’s session or days going forward.”
Some hot post-match managerial chat coming up. But in the meantime, Jacob Steinberg’s report from Stamford Bridge has landed. You know what to do!
The super-promising Emile Smith-Rowe speaks to Sky. “It was an important result for us. We had to dig deep. it was a tough test. We worked on pressing in training this week, so we feel we did well to make them make a mistake. I’m just happy the goal went in, though it was a lucky finish! I just want to keep pushing on now for this fantastic club. Arsenal are my club. I’m so tired, but the team played well, we had to dig deep, and we’re happy with the three points. I think it showed our character, how much fight we have in us. After a tough season, it was a good performance. We’re working really hard, we’ve shown how good we can be, and we’ll keep pushing forward. I’m really happy with the result.”
Chelsea will wonder how they lost that game. Arsenal’s goal was the result of a shocking error by Jorginho, Kai Havertz missed a one-on-one chance, and Kurt Zouma and Olivier Giroud both hit the bar within 0.000000023 seconds of each other in the dying moments of the match. It was one of those: they could have played all night but somehow seemed destined never to find the net. Arsenal were staunch defensively, mind you, with everyone putting in a shift. They can make a solid case that their win was totally deserved, too. Both stances are perfectly valid, and in any case, the internet’s all about searching for a greater truth in good faith, isn’t it.
That’s a big result for several reasons. It’s Arsenal’s first win at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since 2011, and completes their first double over Chelsea since 2004. It also sends Arsenal above Everton in the table, to eighth spot on 55 points. As for Chelsea, it’s not ideal preparation for the FA Cup final on Saturday, and this slight shock of a defeat keeps the top-four door ajar for West Ham United and Liverpool. Chelsea are still strong favourites to seal that particular deal, but their final two fixtures are against Leicester and Aston Villa, neither a gimme, and should the Hammers or the newly deposed champions string together a late sequence, nerves at the Bridge may start to lightly jangle.
FULL TIME: Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal
Emile Smith-Rowe’s goal - gifted by Jorginho’s farcical mistake - decides this London derby!
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90 min +7: The corner’s half cleared. James swings the ball back in from the right. By the near post, Gabriel’s confused header drops to the feet of Jorginho, a couple of yards out! But the ball clanks out for a goal kick, and the Chelsea midfielder’s chance of redemption is gone!
90 min +6: Ziyech sends a couple of Hail Marys into the Chelsea box. Arsenal scramble both clear. Chelsea come again, Pulisic dribbling down the right and winning a corner. James to take.
90 min +5: You know, looks like there was a slight coming together between Partey and Hudson-Odoi there. But not enough for a VAR check to overturn the referee’s decision.
90 min +4: Arsenal break. Lacazette charges down the middle. He slips a pass forward for Partey, who enters the box, goes over, and is booked for simulation.
90 min +3: Chelsea win a corner down the right. It’s dealt with in a fuss-free fashion.
90 min +2: Arsenal spend some time in the Chelsea half. It’s much needed, because they’re otherwise hanging on.
90 min +1: Leno got a fingertip to Zouma’s header, you know. What a save! There will be six additional minutes, by the way.
90 min: A looping ball into the Arsenal box from the right. Zouma flicks a diagonal header over Leno and towards the top right ... but off the bar. Giroud reaches the rebound and lashes towards the same corner ... and that one comes off the bar as well! Absurd! So unfortunate for the hosts!
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89 min: Pusilic dribbles hard down the right. His cross evades Giroud. Pulisic comes again, and wins a corner down the same flank. Mount takes, and once again fails to beat the first man.
88 min: Bellerin can’t continue, and he makes way for Chambers.
87 min: Giroud spins into space down the left and creams a pass along the wing for Hudson-Odoi, who crosses deep. Arsenal are light at the back, and Pulisic meets the ball on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. But he’s stretching, and the cross is slightly too far away, and he can only scoop gently into Leno’s arms.
85 min: Mount’s delivery is dreadful, failing to beat the front man Lacazette. Chilwell returns the clearance in a directionless style, the ball sailing out for a goal kick. Bellerin comes back on.
84 min: Bellerin eventually gets up. He’ll have to leave the field of play for the corner, though.
83 min: Ziyech chips gracefully down the inside left, and nearly releases Hudson-Odoi into the Chelsea box. The pass is crucially dinked out of play for a corner by the outstretched leg of Bellerin. That’s a fine acrobatic intervention ... and he may have done himself a mischief, because before the corner can be taken, he’s down getting treatment from the physio.
81 min: A cross from the right. Giroud eyebrows this one harmlessly wide left. Another goal kick is taken, after a fashion, by Leno.
80 min: Giroud earns himself half a yard down the left, only for the flag to go up for offside. Arsenal take their own sweet time over the restart, as they’re going to do for the rest of this match, and you can’t really blame them.
79 min: Arsenal respond with a substitution of their own. A disappointed but clearly tired Aubameyang traipses off, Lacazette coming on in his wake.
78 min: An attacking substitution by Chelsea with time slowly running out. Azpilicueta is replaced by Ziyech. “Pulisic is the hope for all Americans, he is our Captain America,” begins Mary Waltz, who clearly holds no truck with the Ryder Cup stylings of Patrick Reed. “However I have to admit he is a bit of a drama queen at times. He isn’t as bad as Neymar but he occasionally ventures into that territory.”
76 min: A free kick for Arsenal out on the left. Smith-Rowe takes. Silva half-clears. Tierney tries to return with a spectacular volley from distance but his effort is blocked and spins through to Kepa.
75 min: The pace of the game drops a little, which will suit Arsenal just fine as they get closer and closer to completing their first league double over Chelsea for 17 years.
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73 min: Hudson-Odoi shimmies down the left before scooping infield for Giroud, who isn’t far away from connecting with the cross, ten yards out. Leno shepherds the ball out for a goal kick.
71 min: Arsenal are beginning to craft half-chances. Tierney is sent scampering down the left by Smith-Rowe, and crosses deep for Odegaard, who opens his body and shovels a poor shot wide of the mark. This game is poised deliciously at the moment.
70 min: Pulisic falls in agony as he takes a knee in the thigh from Gabriel. All good knockabout fun, and he’s up and about again before you know it.
69 min: Elneny is robbed by Mount, 25 yards from his own goal. The ball breaks to Giroud, who attempts a first-time shot from the edge of the D, but shanks harmlessly wide left. He smiles ruefully, having narrowly avoided a complete fresh-air swipe.
68 min: Zouma has a dig from the best part of 30 yards. On the touchline, Tuchel chomps his gum with rhythmic irritation.
66 min: Tierney and Smith-Rowe combine cutely down the left, Tierney then crossing long. Bellerin and Odegaard one-two down the inside-right, the sub then firing a weak shot straight at Kepa. A reminder that Arsenal have the tools up front to hurt Chelsea, if they decide to launch a few attacks.
65 min: Arsenal make their first change of the evening, replacing Saka with Bellerin, while Chelsea swap Havertz for the former Arsenal striker Giroud. Headlines ahoy!
63 min: A big let-off for Arsenal, that, who didn’t really bother competing at the corner, the whole affair unfolding in super slow-motion.
61 min: The corner’s hit long. Havertz eyebrows it on. Pulisic chests into the right-hand portion of the net from close range. The referee awards the goal! But Pulisic doesn’t really bother celebrating, knowing full well he was a mile offside. Sure enough, after a VAR check, the goal is chalked off. It’s still 0-1.
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60 min: Corner for Chelsea out on the left. From which ...
58 min: Tierney goes down having been caught on the knee by Hudson-Odoi. The challenge looked totally accidental, and happily the Arsenal and Scotland full back is back up quickly enough.
56 min: James drives a low cross in from the right. Havertz doesn’t make too much of an effort to connect at the near post. He should have done. He would have trundled home.
55 min: Hudson-Odoi hoicks over from distance, giving Arsenal the chance to regroup and breathe. Meanwhile mention earlier of Slim Jim Baxter has sent Sunderland Stephen Gibb into a bittersweet nostalgic reverie: “My first live match was Sunderland v Nottm Forest at Roker Park in Oct 1968, just turned six. I spent all match shouting for Baxter, only to be mortified to learn he’d been transferred and was playing for Forest.”
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54 min: Chelsea apply a little more pressure. A corner comes to nothing. Arsenal will be happy enough at the minute.
52 min: James slips as he passes back from a deep position on the Chelsea right. For a second, a looping ball threatens to sail over Kepa, which really would be adding insult to injury. But the keeper gathers. Phew. Shades, momentarily, of another farcical goal that Arsenal fans of a certain vintage may remember...
50 min: A big half, this, for Chelsea. They need to win two of their last three matches to be sure of a top-four finish, and their last two matches are at home to Leicester City and away to Aston Villa. They’d still be favourites to get over the line, but dropped points here would set the nerves a-jangling.
48 min: Havertz loses control in the penalty area, then goes down as Gabriel brushes him from the side. Havertz wants a spot kick, but he’s not getting one. VAR rubber-stamps the decision. We play on.
47 min: Chelsea ping it around, pushing Arsenal back, much as they did during the last knockings of the first half. Surely Arsenal can’t rely on holding their shape for 45 minutes? It’s going to be a long half for them if that’s their plan.
46 min: Chelsea are now kicking towards the Matthew Harding, Arsenal the Shed.
Chelsea get the second half underway. They’ve made a change, replacing Gilmour with Hudson-Odoi.
I was about to type up a clarification regarding the backpass handling law, but Dave Brooker has just emailed in to save me a job. “Had the ref deemed the pass by Jorghino to be a deliberate back pass, the indirect free kick would have been taken on the line of the six yard box. Presumably all eleven defenders would have lined up on the goal line. Still fun to watch though!” Probably worth adding that, had Andre Marriner blown immediately for a foul, as opposed to letting Arsenal play the advantage, there wouldn’t have been any yellow or red-card punishment for Kepa. Some fine refereeing to let that situation pan out naturally, though yes, the resulting six-yard-box stramash would have been one long laugh riot.
Half-time entertainment ... because it’s all happening down the Fulham Road right now.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal
Despite all of Chelsea’s pressing and probing, Arsenal make it to half time with their lead intact. Jorginho trudges off shaking his head, presumably thinking about the form his apology to his team-mates will take. “That pass by Jorginho which Kepa handled was a back pass,” notes Amal Madhavan. “What would have happened had that not been a goal afterwards? Free kick at goal line? That would have been fun!”
45 min: Gabriel has an opportunity to send Tierney away down the left, but clumps hopelessly out for a goal kick. This time, Tierney limits himself to a quiet seethe.
44 min: The Chelsea probing continues. Still no way through.
42 min: Tierney fumes as he races the length of the pitch down the left, only to realise there’s no support. Arsenal are struggling to get anything going in the Chelsea half right now.
40 min: This is all Chelsea in terms of possession and territory, as the hosts probe in Arsenal’s final third. But the visitors hold their shape. They could probably do with half-time, though.
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39 min: Gilmour channels Jim Baxter circa 1967 and plays keepie-uppie down the right wing, before slipping his team-mates away on an attack. He should try that against England this summer.
37 min: Arsenal deal with the resulting corner, then the one after that.
36 min: Chelsea nearly equalise as Saka tries to let a loose ball run out of play down the left, only to be robbed by Chilwell, who crosses low and hard towards the middle. Elneny reads the danger brilliantly, tracking back to slam out of play just before anyone in a blue shirt could land the killer blow.
34 min: Arsenal continue to stroke it around in an aesthetically pleasing style. It finally comes to an end when Odegaard takes his eye off the ball out on the right wing, but in the dugout, Mikel Arteta seems happy with that little period of play, Arsenal having imposed their style on the game.
33 min: A period of sterile Arsenal possession.
31 min: Gilmour earns a Chelsea corner out on the left. Mount hits it long for Zouma, who wins a scrappy header on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Pulisic tries to help it on, but can only eyebrow onto the top netting.
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30 min: Now Havertz and Mount try to combine out on the right flank, but there’s no way through down there.
29 min: This is quite a stat flashed up by Sky: only one team has conceded more times as a result of error than Chelsea’s eight ... and that’s the outgoing champions Liverpool, who have shipped nine fiasco-infused goals. Wolves are the next cab on the rank with a mere six.
27 min: Havertz grooves his way down the inside-left channel and slips Mount into the box. Mount slams low and hard across Leno, looking for the bottom right, but the keeper sticks out a strong hand, and the loose ball is then thrashed clear.
25 min: Meanwhile in other medical news, Aubameyang is forced to briefly leave the pitch having been given a split lip. He’s not happy about having to leave the field of play, but he’s back quickly enough.
23 min: A great chance for Chelsea to equalise, as Pulisic is sent tearing down the right by Azpilicueta and cuts back from the byline, Mount meeting the ball sweetly. But his volley, from ten yards, is blocked by Holding, who bravely takes one in his Special Area.
22 min: That’s only the sixth goal Chelsea have let in at Stamford Bridge under Thomas Tuchel. The other five came against relegated West Brom. They’ve got one hell of a defence, but when they concede, they do so in some style.
20 min: Chelsea knock it around the back awhile, in order to clear their heads. Here’s Mary Waltz: “Sometimes, in a strange way, it is reassuring to see a highly professional athlete do something that one could imagine an overweight middle aged pub league participant doing.”
18 min: Rather beautifully, a plaintive, none-more-London cry of “fackin’ hell!” pierces the Stamford Bridge silence as Jorginho gets a sympathetic pat on the back. Oh, and Smith-Rowe nearly scuffed that wide of the empty goal. Quite an event.
FARCICAL GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal (Smith-Rowe 16)
This is absurd. Jorginho passes back blind. Kepa, however, was on walkabout. The keeper does extremely well to scamper back and whip the ball, rolling towards the empty net, off the line, but can only direct it to Aubameyang, just to the left of goal. Aubameyang rolls across the face of the six-yard box to Smith-Rowe, who dispatches into the bottom right. What a farce!
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15 min: Arsenal look bright and confident in attack, with Odegaard, Saka and Aubameyang seeing plenty of the ball.
13 min: He plays it short, and it all goes wrong. But Arsenal come again, Saka latching onto a loose ball and deflecting it into the path of Holding on the right. Holding is in acres, but balloons his cross over the box, releasing the pressure on Chelsea. That was half a chance to cause the hosts some real bother.
12 min: The first corner of the game is Arsenal’s, won out on the left by Aubameyang. Odegaard to take.
11 min: Chelsea should be leading. Mari basically falls asleep while standing with the ball at his feet in the centre circle. Havertz whips the ball off his toe and races clear down the middle. He simply has to score, but leans back and blazes over from the edge of the box. What a miss! What a let-off for the dozy Mari.
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9 min: Here come Arsenal again, Odegaard slipping Aubameyang into space with a sliderule pass down the right. Aubameyang tries to find Saka on the overlap, but he’s gone too early, and up goes the flag again.
8 min: Gabriel flies a long pass down the left for Aubameyang, who is flagged offside. It’s a start for Arsenal as an attacking force this evening.
7 min: Mount turns on the jets and reaches the byline down the left, past Saka. His pullback is cleared by Holding.
5 min: Chelsea put the first proper move of the match together, Chilwell and Pulisic combining down the left, the latter pulling back for Mount, who sends a low speculative drive goalwards from the left-hand edge of the box. Easy for Leno.
4 min: A gentle start as both teams take turns to ping a few triangles, and to probe this way and that, feeling each other out.
2 min: Arsenal are kicking towards the Matthew Harding Stand in this first half; Chelsea towards the Shed.
Arsenal get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.
The teams are out! Everyone in their famous first-choice gear: Chelsea in blue, Arsenal in red and white. We’ll be off in a minute or two! “There’s little for an Arsenal fan to say any more, I guess, except that now there’s nothing to lose,” writes Charles Antaki. “I suppose the team will go out and prove the truth of that by providing nothing, and losing. But I shall be happy enough watching Saka and Smith-Rowe. Small pleasures.”
Pre-match reading. Some old tat to whet the appetite.
Thomas Tuchel’s turn to chat to Sky. “Every step is a big one in the last weeks. This is another tough one against a strong Arsenal side. It is difficult to create big chances against them. It is a London derby. We work hard. It doesn’t feel like we have made so many changes, but we think we have a strong line-up today. It does not seem like we have an inexperienced squad, they are used to playing in this shape. We have worked hard to have the momentum, so if you catch it, you try not to interfere as a coach. It’s a tough one, we have to be ready.”
Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky. “They have been extraordinary in the last few months, in terms of results and performances, and it is always tough to come here. But we know what we have to do to beat them. We have to be 120 percent of our level, individually and collectively. If we do that, we have a chance to win the game. We need to lift our heads and show we care, and give this club and the fans the finish to the season they deserve.”
A quick peek inside the Chelsea dressing room ... and we can exclusively reveal that Chelsea will be playing in blue; Timo Werner, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell grace the cover of the matchday programme; and there are snacks.
Chelsea, with one or two other big games upcoming, make seven changes to the side that won at Manchester City last weekend. In come Kepa, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Jorginho, Ben Chilwell, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz. Edouard Mendy, Marcos Alonso, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner drop to the bench, while Antonio Rudiger, N’Golo Kante and Andreas Christensen miss out altogether.
Arsenal make five changes to the side named for the 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney and Pablo Mari replace Gabriel Martinelli, Pepe, Willian, Dani Ceballos and Calum Chambers, all of whom drop to the bench.
The teams
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Zouma, James, Gilmour, Jorginho, Chilwell, Mount, Pulisic, Havertz.
Subs: Alonso, Werner, Mendy, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Emerson Palmieri, Anjorin, Livramento.
Arsenal: Leno, Holding, Gabriel, Pablo Mari, Tierney, Thomas, Elneny, Saka, Odegaard, Smith-Rowe, Aubameyang.
Subs: Bellerin, Ceballos, Lacazette, Willian, Cedric, Pepe, Chambers, Ryan, Martinelli.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).
Preamble
Chelsea could do without this. They’ve got the FA Cup final coming up on Saturday, while there’s the small matter of the Champions League final at the end of the month. But participation in next year’s Champions League is yet to be guaranteed, and three points here tonight would go a long, long way to dealing with that. Plus, of course, it’s Arsenal. A big London derby. There’s no option but to go big. At least they’ve got the squad to do it.
As for Arsenal ... well, it’s mainly about local pride tonight. European qualification looks a long shot, and in any case may be better avoided while they regroup. But they did beat Chelsea 3-1 at the Emirates earlier this season, and could make it a league double over Chelsea for the first time since 2004. The only small problem: they haven’t won this fixture since 2011, when Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick in an absurd to-and-fro 5-3 romp.
Another eight-goal thriller would be just the ticket, though given the suddenly parsimonious nature of Chelsea’s defence, don’t bank on it. Kick off is at 8.15pm BST. It’s on!
