Arsenal vs Chelsea summary: Odegaard double, score, goals, highlights | Premier League

Premier League title race still on?

So, we're back to where we were before Manchester City's victory at Fulham. It's hard to imagine Pep Guardiola's side not winning a game of soccer at the moment but they toiled a bit at Craven Cottage and they have the small matter of a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid to distract them in the next few weeks. 

Maybe it's not over just yet after all...We'll be staying with it every step of the way right here on AS USA. 

Premier League debutant Kiwior barely tested

I'm not sure I even mentioned Kiwior's name during the game, which is probably what you want from a central defender. He couldn't have hoped for an easier Premier League debut. 

Frank Lampard: "We were too easy to play against"

Another tough day at the office for Chelsea caretaker boss Frank Lampard, who has also spoken to BBC Match of the Day. 

"Not good enough first half, that's what confirms the result. Much better second half, but not good enough first half.

"We were too nice to play against in all aspects in the first half. In the second half we played much more like a team that has a threat up top. In the first half we were too easy to play against.

"It's tough because you want to win games, but it's our job, we'll work on it."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta: "We connected with our crowd"

An understandably happy Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has spoken to BBC Match of the Day. 

"The first 60 minutes, I thought the team played really well, we need to be us, and that was everything I want to see from our team.

"Speed, quality, movement, two beautiful goals, we connected with our crowd and created an incredible atmosphere. They have been incredibly supportive of what we have done and we wanted to earn the right to be top of the league. We are, and happy to be there.

"Gabriel could not carry on, we have to assess him, he was not comfortable.

"Odegaard has 14 goals this season, his contribution to the team, his leadership skills, I'm really pleased with him."

Chelsea captain Azpilicueta: "We have a lot of things to work on"

Beaten Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has also been speaking to Sky:

"The first half we were quite passive. We know they are a dangerous team and will bring a lot of people forward but we should've done better with the ball.

"In the second half we showed a bit of a reaction, in the first half we were far from there. It's tough for everybody, we're not in a good position. The reality is what we have now. We have to go through it.

"We are all disappointed, the fans at the club. We have to take responsibility and that's the only way. It's very hard, we didn't expect to be here but that's where we are. We have five games left, we have to show a positive energy and win games.

"It's the worst run since I've been at the club. We're the ones playing on the pitch and we have to turn this around. It's hard for everybody and we have to come through these moments. Off the pitch we have a lot of things to work on."

Arsenal captain Odegaard: "Very happy with the first half, messy second"

"Especially the first half was brilliant. We came out and showed a different spirit to last time [the 4-1 loss to Manchester City].

"I'm very happy with the first half, the second was a bit messy but three points and a good win and we needed this one.

"Everyone was so hurt after the game [against City]. We used the anger and the disappointment to get back into this game. You can lose games but the way we lost, we didn't play our game and weren't ourselves, that was the most painful thing, and we wanted to show a different side and we definitely did.

"I just try to help the team. This year I've scored more goals, Granit with two good passes and that made it easier. I just tried to be in the right area and as soon as I see him attacking the space I just have to be in the right place.

"In the second half we didn't keep the ball enough. They went a bit more direct and after the duels we didn't keep the ball.

"We have to fight and keep going. We believe and will fight until the end."

Reaction on its way from Arsenal vs Chelsea

Two-goal Martin Odegaard was first to speak to UK broadcaster Sky Sports, who showed the game live. 

Chelsea's season to forget

I don't know if we really need to focus too much on Chelsea's end to the season as it doesn't look as if there's much left for them to play for. Even if they lose their last five games, they're not going to be sucked into a relegation battle (I never thought I'd have to say that about them). 

Just a reminder that they are on course to be the sixth-best London club this season after Arsenal, Spurs, Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace. 

Wow. 

Manchester City's remaining Premier League fixtures

City have got two extra games to play and, again, Brighton is the one that sticks out as being the toughest. Still, they might have a little room for a slip-up.

- West Ham (h)

- Leeds (h)

- Everton (a)

- Chelsea (h)

- Brighton (a)

- Brentford (h)

Arsenal's remaining Premier League fixtures

I posted it earlier but here's the Gunners' updated fixture list.

Despite today's win, I still wouldn't fancy that trip to St James' Park, or that home game against in-form Brighton. 

- Newcastle (a)

- Brighton (h)

- Nottingham Forest (a)

- Wolves (h)

Arsenal...top of the league (again)!

Momentum is a funny thing.

Arsenal were smashed by Manchester City less than seven days ago and it was all doom and gloom. Now, their fans are jubilant because their team is top of the league again. 

Two points clear of City, but don't forget those two games in hand...

Another effort from Havertz, this time with his head. Good wing play from Mudryk ends with him standing up a cross to the back post, with the forward gets his head to under pressure. There's not much power on it, though, and Ramsdale saves easily. 

Great strength from Havertz to hold off Holding and the German gets a shot away but Ramsdale is equal to it down low. 

Although Chelsea have been better in the last little while, you get the feeling Arsenal are playing down the gears. 

Ziyech takes things into his own hands and tries his luck from distance but it flies comfortably wide of the post. 

Five mjnutes of injury time. 

A decent spell for Chelsea but it's far too little, too late, I think. 

Kanté has been out for a long time and I think it still shows. Ziyech feeds a lovely pass through to him in the box and the Frenchman is indecisive. He doesn't shoot and delays a pass to Havertz, which runs out of play. 

Chelsea also make a switch. Chalobah replaces Fofana. 

Finally, Gabriel goes off. As does Jorginho. 

On come Holding and Partey. 

Kepa saves from Odegaard!

He's been much quieter in this second half but Odegaard ghosted into space in the Chelsea box and his eyes lit up for a hat-trick. Kepa makes a good save down low. 

Gabriel is really struggling out there, I don't know why he's still on. Especially with Saliba already out. 

Kovacic chops down Jesus and it's a yellow for the Croat. 

Ziyech makes a rare appearance, coming on for Madueke. 

Mudryk's ball in reaches Silva, whose header is deflected for a corner, which is floated into the back post and cleared. 

Gallagher goes down under a challenge from Nelson and it's a free-kick to Chelsea in a dangerous position. 

Madueke is next to go down with a knock, although it looks as if he's going to try to run it off. 

Mudryk hasn't had much luck since joining the Blues and he's again out here as the ball ricochets away from him when it looks as if he might get a sight of goal inside the Arsenal box. 

Chilwell gets away down the left and, not for the first time, Chelsea have got bodies in the box. But, not for the first time, it's a poor ball in.

Tierney and Nelson replace Zinchenko and Saka for the Gunners.

Gabriel looks set to get his head on the corner a few yards from goal but is penalised for a foul on Silva. 

Arsenal appear to have got over that setback and are back on the attack. Another corner for the Gunners.

Mudryk and Gallagher replace Fernández and Sterling for the Blues, 

I probably didn't make enough about how badly Zinchenko defender that goal. A great pass from Kovacic but the Ukrainian totally switched off. 

Gabriel is staying on for now. Which way is this one going?

Gabriel struggling for Arsenal

To make matters worse for Arsenal, Gabriel is really struggling....

A rare goal for Chelsea... Can they find a way back in?!

What have I just seen? The corner ends with a Chelsea attack and they should do better. Kanté leads a four against three and plays an absolutely hopeless final ball, which is cut out. 

However, Arsenal have a five-second period when it seems as if they're playing blindfolded and gift the ball back to Madueke, who is on the goal line but can't find anyone in the middle. 

You can be sure that Martinelli will be fired up after losing his place and he's won a corner...

An old-fashioned high ball into the box causes the Arsenal defence problems but, in keeping with his team's showing, Sterling completely misses the ball when he could've volleyed the ball goalwards. 

Martinelli on for Arsenal

Martinelli has had a brilliant season but was left out for this one. He's on now though, in place of Trossard. 

Saka goes close twice!

The chances keep coming thick and fast! Saka fires one low across goal and sees Kepa deflected it away, before striking one narrowly wide from the edge of the box after Arsenal's passes had been greeted with 'olés' from the stands. 

Ahhh, this doesn't look too good for Gabriel and for Arsenal. They've suffered with Saliba's injury and now it looks as if his centre-back partner has picked up a knock. But he's going to try to play on. 

And from the corner, Jesus blazes over at the back post! Another good chance. 

Superb Kepa save from Xhaka!

Not much respite though as Arsenal stream forward again and Xhaka gets the break of the ball in the box and looks to have found the bottom corner, only for Kepa to deny him with a superb stop!

Off the line!

The free-kick from that Azpilicueta challenge led to a corner, which was headed goalwards by Gabriel but expertly cleared off the line by Silva, who did a knee-up before smashing it away.

The best we've seen from Chelsea that. You can take the boy out of Brazil...

Referee Rob Jones must be feeling sorry for Chelsea as he doesn't show Azpilicueta a yellow for chopping down Jesus near the bye line. 

Lampard encouraging Madueke to keep at it and continuing taking on Zinchenko. As mentioned, he's been the brightest of not-very-bright sparks. 

We've already almost seen more from Havertz than we did from Aubameyang. And when I say 'more', I mean touching the ball and making a pass in the Arsenal half. 

Second half underway!

Well, then. What does the second half have in store for us?

Harvetz on for Chelsea, Aubameyang off...

Before the second half gets going, Havertz is coming on. Turns out that players don't always score against their form club as Aubemayang goes off.

Arsenal's attacking prowess

If only they'd been able to keep their defence together in the last six weeks or so...

At least Chelsea are giving them a bit of a confidence boost here. 

Madueke a positive for Chelsea?

This is my attempt to prove to any of you who may be Chelsea fans (if you're still with me) that I'm not picking on them. 

Here's a positive. Kind of... (maybe pushing it slightly). 

Frank "conceded" Lampard

I'm honestly not trying to pick on Frank Lampard. But this is simply incredible. 

Half time: Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

The ideal match for Arsenal as they look to get back to winning ways after their recent slump. Chelsea have been lifeless since Frank Lampard returned and have showed next to no signs of changing that in a hapless first-half performance.

Loose passes, slack marking and next to no attacking threat allowed the Gunners to take charge of the game, with Odegaard twice being left in acres of space to sweep in crosses from the left from Xhaka. Gabriel Jesus bundled in a third moments after the Norwegian’s second strike to put Mikel Arteta’s men in total control with over 10 minutes of the half to go.

Relief for Arsenal after their recent struggles but where do Chelsea go from here?

For the first time in the game, a neat move from the visitors in the Arsenal penalty box. Kovacic plays it nicely into the path of Sterling, who goes down under a challenge but his hopeful look at the referee bears no fruit. 

Two extra minutes to be played. 

A bit of a soft free-kick given for a foul on Sterling. Just as well for Chelsea, as Saka might have been bearing down on goal. 

The first time we've seen Aubemayang in a dangerous position in the box and his touch lets him down. To be fair, Madueke's pass had a bit too much on it but the striker was in a good position but was unable to take it in. 

A little break in play as Fofana is still feeling the effects of that knock to the face. Speculation that he got a finger in the eye...

Jesus looks to have got away with one there as he catches Fofana with a flailing arm as the Chelsea defender tries to run the defend upfield. A free-kick and nothing else. 

"Are you Tottenham in disguise...?"

Well, the way Spurs have conceded quick-fire goals of late, that's not a bad comparison. Still, Spurs came from three goals down to equaliser (albeit briefly) at the weekend. 

I'm struggling to imagine Chelsea doing that...

The way this is going, this could be anything at the moment.

Saka is next to come close, flashing an effort across goal which has Kepa flapping. 

Two attacks in quick succession and Chelsea are all over the place. The second ends with White crossing to the backpost, where Jesus and Xhaka and both looking to score. The Swiss' effort is blocked by Kepa but Jesus pounces to shoot low into the net!

Ok, not quite, as the finish came from closer in (the penalty spot) and the finish went across Kepa. But again it was Xhaka who picked out his captain and again Odegaard was all alone! 

Kanté seems to have remembered that he's actually a good soccer player and sets Madueke away down the right. The winger has at least four teammates in the middle but tries one feint too many and Zinchenko blocks his cross.

Has Aubameyang touched the ball yet,? 

Arsenal free-kick in a dangerous position. Odegaard whips it in...to the hands of Kepa. 

Trossard crosses into the box and appeals for handball against Fofana. Mostly to take away from the fact that his cross was pretty terrible, I think. 

Superb Ramsdale save from Chilwell!

They've definitely woken up! Chelsea get Chilwell in behind Saka and he's clean through on goal. The defender's strike is angling into the net but Ramsdale makes a superb fingertip save!

Chelsea seem to have woken up a bit. They're passing looks a bit crisper (and a bit more frequent). 

Out of nowhere, Madueke goals on a mazy run down the right for Chelsea and somehow manages to get into the box but he can't pick out a teammate. The Blues finally shown some kind of positive sign at least. 

Xhaka was out on the left and picked out Odegaard all alone just inside the area. The former Real Madrid man emphatically did the rest!

One-way traffic so far. Can Arsenal capitalise?

Chelsea could do with a spell of possession. Their performance so far has been - and I don't think this is being unkind - pretty awful so far. 

Kepa saves from Saka!

Another break forward from Xhaka, another corner for Arsenal.

It's taken quickly and is eventually crossed for Saka, who header is kept out by Kepa (who made hard work of it)!

I thought for a second we were going to get a glimpse of the Arsenal penalty area but Sterling, with plenty of teammates streaming forward, gives the ball away carelessly before they get there. 

Odegaard and Trossard work it short and the Belgian floats a cross up to the back post but it's well overhit and goes out of play. 

Xhaka has got forward plenty in the first 10 minutes and another run into the box wins a corner....

And that's more like the Kanté we know and (some of us) love. Just when it looked as if Xhaka was about to fire one in from range, the Frenchman takes it off his toes. 

Much better defending from Chelsea there as Silva and Chilwell do well to squeeze out Saka, who was looking to get in behind the Chelsea left-back. Silva has taken a sore one after clattering into an advertising board. 

Loose passes on both sides but it's Arsenal who continue to look the more dangerous - by far - in the early stages. Madueke and Sterling, Chelsea's wide 'attackers', are being pushed right back. 

Kepa saves from Xhaka!

Oh my word, what are Chelsea doing back there? First, it was Kanté wild swipe, now Azpilicueta tries to head the ball back to Kepa, gets nowhere near enough on it and allows Xhaka to get a foot to it a few yards from goal, but the Blues keeper is alert enough to block!

Three minutes in and I'm not sure Chelsea have touched the ball in the Arsenal half yet. 

Another Arsenal attack down the right as White overlaps Saka. The full-back whips in a decent cross but, again, it's cleared by the Chelsea defence. 

A dangerous attack right from kick-off...but it's for the hosts! Saka charges away down the right and smuggles the ball into the box, Kanté takes a fresh-air swipe at it but eventually manages to hack it clear. 

Underway at the Emirates!

And we're off! Aubameyang - fittingly - gets us going. 

Kick-off incoming!

The teams are out, the fans are in full voice. It's almost time. Who've you got?

Arsenal vs Chelsea: what's at stake?

A little reminder of what's at stake:

- Arsenal will go two points clear of Manchester City (having played two games more) with a win.

- Chelsea are looking to end a five-match losing run under Frank Lampard and hoping to score a rare goal...

Chelsea team to play Arsenal

And, of course, Aubameyang is back in the Chelsea starting line-up for the first time since they played against...his former club Arsenal at Stamford Bridge before the World Cup.

I don't suppose it can go much worse for them, can it? 

Kepa; Azpilicueta, Fofana, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Fernández, Kovavic; Madueke, Aubameyang, Sterling. 

Arsenal team to play Chelsea

Before things get frantic, here's a little reminder of the Arsenal team to play Chelsea. Kiwior in for Holding, Jorginho for Partey and Trossard for Martinelli the most notable changes. 

Ramsdale; White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegarrd, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Trossard.

Arsenal vs Chelsea: 15 minutes to go!

Those look like fairly worried faces to me. Still, the other side is probably worse...

PREMIER LEAGUE

Why is the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea on Tuesday 2 May and not this weekend?

Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea played at the weekend. While it's not strange to see 'weekend' games moved to Monday night for live TV broadcast, being switched to a Tuesday night for that reason is pretty much unheard of. And this game was originally scheduled for Saturday 29 April. 

So, what happened? You'll be unsurprised to hear that the move created a bit of a storm and caused unhappiness in certain camps. 

Frank Lampard: "There may be motivation for Aubameyang"

The big news on the Chelsea side is that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starts against his former club, as does youngster Noni Madueke. Here are Lampards thoughts on his attacking selection:

"I think we all know Auba coming in fresh for us in the last few weeks has been - he hasn’t played so much as a number nine which is the main position that you need to have that sharpness in match days - he’s shown a little bit of that against Brentford, and he’s a reference, he’s got a history of scoring goals, may be motivation for him to play here. With Noni [Madueke] he’s trained really well, and when you come into a big squad you need players to show something in training, and he’s shown that".

With Aubameyang and Madueke in, that means there's no place in the starting line-up for João Félix:

"He has a huge talent. I really need to find a clear structure. He's not definite if you ask him where he wants to play. Maybe he's not a 9, I need a 9 for the way I want to play. Whatever his future is, I don't know that”.

Mikel Arteta: "We have to change things. We have to shake it up".

Sky Sports are broadcasting the game in the UK and have spoken to both managers ahead of the kick-off. 

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked about why he had made several changes, including drafting Jakub Kiwior into defence:

"We have to change things. We were conceding too many goals. We have to shake it up, we have to give other people opportunities that they fully deserve, and today was the day to that in my opinion".

He also explained Jorginho's inclusion in midfield:

"It’s because of the feeling of what he’s been doing in the last few weeks. The way he came on against Man City and the control we need, in my opinion, in this game. They have a lot of players, they have a lot of legs. They are great on the break and we need control in this game today".

Frank Lampard's regretful Chelsea return

When Chelsea fired Graham Potter just months after spending a small fortune to prise him away from Brighton, they turned to club legend Frank Lampard, a former permanent Blues boss, to keep them ticking over until the end of the season. Well, the battery must be broken as things couldn't have gone any worse for the ex-England international. 

Lampard has taken charge of five games and lost all of them. Chelsea unsurprisingly lost twice to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals and have suffered league defeats to Wolves, Brighton and Brentford, the last two of those coming at home. To make matters worse, they scored only one goal in those games (their overall record is now one goal scored in seven matches). 

Chelsea: how the Premier League table looks

Look away now, Chelsea fans. As is stands, the Blues are on course to finish as the sixth best team in London. That's not that you spend almost $750 million to achieve, I'm fairly sure...Frank Lampard is their third manager of the season after Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter and has been by far the worst of them, which says it all.

They're nine points clear of the relegation zone...

Who did Aubameyang's last Premier League start come against...?

Well, what do you know?

He - and Chelsea - failed to score and the Blues lost (a recurring theme this season). 

Arsenal team to play Chelsea

I've seen Rob Holding take some heat online for his performances as Saliba's replacement and he drops out, with January signing Jakub Kiwior starting in central defence. Jorginho is another to play against his ex-club, while Gabriel Martinelli drops to the bench. 

Ramsdale; White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegarrd, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Trossard. 

Chelsea team to play Arsenal: Aubameyang starts

Well, well, well. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has only played in two of Chelsea's last eight Premier League games but is in the starting line-up against his old club! And we all know how that will play out...

Kepa; Azpilicueta, Fofana, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Fernández, Kovavic; Madueke, Aubameyang, Sterling. 

Arsenal slip-ups let City back in

I mentioned earlier that an injury to William Saliba had de-railed Arsenal's title charge but that's perhaps too simplistic. The defender hasn't played since a Europa League penalty shootout defeat to Sporting Clube de Portugal, but the Gunners actually convincingly won their next two Premier League games in his absence.

Since a 4-1 win over Leeds, however, they twice threw away two-goal leads to draw at Liverpool and West Ham, had to battle back from two goals down to draw at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton and were then soundly beaten by City. 

Chelsea arrive at the Emirates

More on Chelsea's wretched form coming right up. For now, here's proof that they have literally turned up at the Emirates. They haven't 'turned up' on the field for a good few weeks now, though...

Manchester City's remaining Premier League fixtures

City have got one extra game to play and, again, the one you've be circling as a potential banana skin would be the trip to Brighton. The way it's going though, it could be all over by then, anyway...

- West Ham (h)

- Leeds (h)

- Everton (a)

- Chelsea (h)

- Brighton (a)

- Brentford (h)

Arsenal's remaining Premier League fixtures

Here's how the Gunners will finish the season. Given what we've seen from them this season, Newcastle and Brighton will be two of the toughest games they could've asked for. 

- Chelsea (h)

- Newcastle (a)

- Brighton (h)

- Nottingham Forest (a)

- Wolves (h)

Arsenal: how the Premier League table looks

A quick glance at the Premier League table and it looks pretty tight at the top.Arsenal are a point behind Manchester City but have played a game more. You shouldn't count them out of it on that basis, right? Especially considering they could be top in a few hours if they win this game. 

Buuuuut, the Gunners were eight points clear going into the international break in March. They've taken three points from the last 12 available, while Pep Guardiola's side have won eight league games in a row. Something drastic will have to happen if this thing is going to turn back around. 

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal: summary, score, goals, highlights, Premier League 2022/23

This time last week, a first Premier League title since 2003-04 was in Arsenal's hands. There were a couple of major-looking obstacles, though. First, the Gunners' form had totally tailed off (more on that in a moment) and their lead had been cut. Second, they had to travel to face Manchester City, who had been hunting them down for weeks. I don't think any of us expected any other outcome, did we?

Here's how the defining clash of this season's Premier League title race (so far) went down.  

Chelsea: early team news

There's good news for Chelsea and Frank Lampard in the sense that Kai Havertz is fit to return to action after an injury. However, there's plenty of bad news elsewhere, with Kalidou Koulibaly, Mason Mount, Reece James and Armando Broja all out until next season, while Marc Cucurella is a couple of weeks away from his return.

It never rains but it pours. 

Arsenal: early team news

No official line-ups or anything like that yet so let’s see who’s out for both sides. You could argue that Arsenal’s recent problems began when centre-back William Saliba picked up an injury in mid-March and the Frenchman will again be absent for the visit of the Blues. Here’s a snap of him in happier times.

Fringe men Tomiyasu and Elneny are also unavailable.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal vs Chelsea: times, how to watch on TV and stream online | Premier League

Of course, you may be looking for a way to watch the game, in which case, you are bang in luck. If you’re watching from the United States, there is a way and this is it!

You can also watch an Arsenal vs Chelsea live stream on fuboTV (free trial available)

What time does Arsenal vs Chelsea kick off?

Before we delve into just how bad these teams have been in recent weeks, although that could take a while, a little reminder of when this game actually gets going.

Sunday’s clash gets underway at 9:00 pm local time in London, that’s 3:00 p.m. ET and 12:00 p.m. PT. Over the course of the next 90 minutes, I’ll be bringing you build-up, team news and plenty, plenty more. Are you ready? Let’s do this!

Hello and welcome to Arsenal vs Chelsea!

It always seemed inevitable, didn’t it? Manchester City had been chasing down Arsenal for weeks and finally got them, following up a 4-1 thrashing of the Gunners with a scrappy 2-1 victory at Fulham to move to the top of the Premier League table. The momentum is ALL with Pep Guardiola’s side now, which means it feels weird to say that Mikel Arteta’s men will move back above them should they beat a – how can I put this nicely? – fairly hopeless Chelsea team. Soccer, eh?

Roddy here, thanks for joining me for live coverage from the Emirates for a clash between two teams who are really sorry for themselves. Could this be the turning point for either of them?