Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal: 5 talking points – Chelsea gifted visitors hope for European football

Kepa-Jorginho-Chelsea

Arsenal picked up a crucial 1-0 win away from home against Chelsea earlier tonight.

Midfielder Emil Smith Rowe scored the only goal of the game for the Gunners, and it was their first victory at Stamford Bridge in a decade.

Here at Anytime football, we look at the five major talking points from tonight’s contest.

An early blunder from Jorginho decided the outcome

The Italian midfielder put his teammates under immense pressure with an early blunder against the Gunners. His wayward back pass caught Kepa Arizzabalaga unaware, and the Spaniard had to scramble to keep the ball out of his net. 

However, he thwarted the ball back into Aubameyang’s path, who found Emile Smith Rowe unmarked in front of the Chelsea goal. The youngster scored a simple tap in to put his side ahead on the 16th minute. 

The referee allowed to continue the play with Aubameyang with the ball, else Arsenal would have received an indirect free-kick on Chelsea goal-line. That would have been very interesting to watch.

The early goal gave Arsenal a much-needed confidence boost, and Chelsea were shaken after that. 

European football a possibility for Arsenal

UEFA are set to introduce their shiny new tournament next season, and the sixth-placed team in the Premier League can gain entry into it. 

As per the rules, the Carabao cup winners are granted entry into the tournament, but since Manchester City won the competition and they are in the Champions League, the UEFA Conference league place will be awarded to the FA Cup winners. 

Now both FA Cup finalists, Leicester and Chelsea, are in the top four, and if they stay there, the UEFA Conference league berth would be awarded to the seventh-placed team in the league. 

Arsenal are currently 8th, and they are just three points adrift of fifth place. Europa League and the Conference league are still well within their grasp, and it remains to be seen where they end up. 

Spurs, West Ham and Liverpool, have the chance of making it to the Europa/Conference league as well, and the Gunners will have to win their remaining games to stand a chance. 

The blunder could rob Chelsea, Champions League football

The defeat tonight against Arsenal will put Chelsea under tremendous pressure as far as top four qualifications are concerned.

The Blues are currently 4th in the League table, but if Liverpool manage to win their two remaining matches in hand, the Reds will be just one point adrift of Chelsea.

Thomas Tuchel’s men will have to take on third-placed Leicester City later this season and their participation in the Champions League next season is by no means guaranteed now.

The youngsters impressed

Arsenal have once again shown that they have an elite crop of youngsters at their disposal, and it will be interesting to see if Mikel Arteta can continue to build around them.

The likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney were all excellent against Chelsea earlier tonight. If Arsenal can continue to nurture the young talent at their disposal, they could have a formidable squad in the coming years.

 Lacklustre Chelsea performance after conceding the goal

Chelsea created enough opportunities to win the game tonight, and Thomas Tuchel will be bitterly disappointed with the performance of his attacking players.

Kai Havertz started as the striker tonight, and he missed a glaring opportunity to put his side ahead within the first ten minutes of the game.

The German was clean through on goal, but he blazed his effort over the crossbar.

That said, Jorginho’s dodgy back pass was probably the most baffling moment of the game as Arsenal capitalised on his misplaced pass to take the lead.

It seems that the Blues have one eye on the prize – the Champions League. The players lacked in sharpness tonight after a few intense matches in recent weeks.