Wait. Is that this a twist? Is that this a sting, a surge, a volte-face? Or is it simply the way it feels to play Chelsea, opponents so poor they appeared at instances to be indulging in a sort of protest exercise, non-sport, soccer as an act of prolonged standing round ready for it to be over.
It’s a measure of Manchester Metropolis’s dominance that the final week has introduced a peculiar feeling that Arsenal’s season is already over, regardless of nonetheless being prime of the desk. Right here Arsenal went three points clear of Liverpool and 4 away from Metropolis (who’ve two video games in hand) with a efficiency that felt, if nothing else, like a sort of liberation.
This at all times appeared prone to be the week of make or break for the title race. However this was additionally simply an enchanting recreation of soccer in its personal proper. Kai Havertz had an exquisite recreation, restored to his ambling false 9 position, one of many nice positives of Arsenal’s season. Martin Ødegaard was elegant, such an odd mixture of roughhouse urgent and fantastic surgical passing, like being hounded to loss of life by a poet.
Ødegaard has led this Arsenal workforce, who nonetheless really feel like they’ve been the perfect within the league this 12 months, have scored essentially the most objectives, gained most convincingly. Will it imply something, in the long run, to attain 5 in opposition to a Chelsea workforce that collapsed like a cardboard field within the rain? Manchester Metropolis haven’t appeared joyful. It seems like a wrestle out of the blue. Pep Guardiola has been whining, weirdly, about tiredness. They may at the least be pressured to win this factor now.
And naturally, it helped that Chelsea have been fairly this unhealthy. How uncommon to win a recreation 5-0 within the last knockings of a title race and but in some way it’s the opposition who really feel just like the story right here. That is how unhealthy Chelsea have been. Even the teamsheet had the sensation of end-times, leftovers, soccer within the post-apocalypse.
Mudryk-Madueke-Jackson-Gallagher. This can be a unusual human soup, disparate components, human expertise as amortised numbers. We’re the stuffed males. We’re the hole males. We’re the Chelsea midfield. Think about not beating this Chelsea workforce 5-0.
In a method it was refreshing. There’s a lot heavy programs soccer round. How liberating to see a workforce with no plan by any means. At one level Enzo Fernández carried the ball ahead 30 yards, then simply appeared to expire of bandwidth, stopping then beginning once more, visibly confused. Conor Gallagher’s solely actual job early on was to dash in and stand in entrance of each Arsenal free‑kick. Properly, it’s a dwelling.
Expertise has been hoarded right here. However why? That is the query Chelsea appear to ask with each sideways go, each shrugging restart. There’s a severe drop off in high quality on this Chelsea workforce with out Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto. One odd factor in regards to the 18-month mega-splurge was the slim vary of expertise. Chelsea purchased loads of deeply room-temperature footballers. All filler no killer. That is our DNA now: the yeah-maybe participant.
The Emirates had been chilly and a bit low key at kick-off, nonetheless bruised maybe from the final 10 days. The opening aim got here early on, a product of Thomas Partey, enjoying behind Declan Rice, producing a pleasant fast easy go to Rice who fed it on to Leandro Trossard. The shot simply went by Djordje Petrovic, the ball in some way passing by his toes as he tumbled backwards like a poorly constructed Jenga tower.
Arsenal dozed and muddled alongside for a bit. Half-time got here and went. And within the house of 10 minutes Arsenal killed the sport. First Ødegaard did one thing lovely, producing a reverse go from a standing begin, fizzed in a flat straight line, wanting the opposite method, proper into Havertz’s toes in entrance of aim.
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Petrovic blocked, however from the nook it was 2-0, Ben White whacking a unfastened ball into the online as Chelsea’s gamers experimented with the exact limits of how shut you may stand to a recreation of soccer with out having any have an effect on in any respect on its consequence.
Ødegaard did it once more moments later, a by go from inside his personal half curved into the trail of Havertz, who skated away, head up, knees excessive, like some flannel-shorted cinder‑monitor center distance service provider, earlier than smashing the ball excessive into the web.
With 65 minutes gone it was Havertz once more, Chelsea’s defenders feigning football-style exercise as he had time to cease and jink and clip a shot contained in the close to publish. Arsenal’s twenty fourth shot at aim made it 5-0. It wasn’t actually a shot, extra a sort of scuffed volleyed cross from Ben White, having enjoyable, making an attempt a factor.
This may increasingly or might not have been a turning level. Most likely it’s all a bit late now. However it felt, on the very least, like a press release of life for this workforce; and a promise to combat to the top.
