Arsenal bounced back from a disappointing defeat against West Ham United to beat Chelsea convincingly at the Emirates Stadium and keep their top four hopes alive.
Even in mid-January, this was a must-win game for Arsenal. A defeat would’ve left them nine points behind Chelsea, three points behind Manchester United and a potential 10 points behind Tottenham Hotspur (depending on Sunday’s result). Even with a few months to go, overtaking two of those teams would be a massive task.
The players seemed to understand the importance of the game, putting in one of their best team performances of the season. Scoring twice in the first half, Arsenal then managed to grind out the victory in the second, without ever really looking like throwing it away.
It was one of Arsenal’s hardest-earned results, with the team covering more ground (121.7km) than in any single match since Opta started tracking the stat in 2013/14.
Let’s have a look at our individual player ratings for the match.
2Midfield
Lucas Torreira 8.5
Torreira put in one of his best Arsenal performances without the ball. He made nine tackles, more than double the figure any Chelsea player managed and all-but-one Arsenal player too. He won 12 out of 17 duels, and his performance would’ve looked even better if the referee didn’t keep waving away clear fouls on him.
The Uruguayan’s pass accuracy wasn’t so impressive, as he took a lot of positive risks, but it’s really more important he gets the defensive work right anyway.
Granit Xhaka 8.5
As he so often does, Xhaka led the team in possession. He created a couple of chances and completed seven long balls, more than any other outfield player for Arsenal. He also made six clearances, three tackles and interceptions and won the majority of his duels. The Swiss midfielder always looks more comfortable when Torreira is around.
Matteo Guendouzi 8
Guendouzi came in for some stick after his performance against West Ham, but the teenager bounced back well with a very solid showing on Saturday. Only Torreira made more tackles than his five, and no one made more interceptions, as the Frenchman executed his defensive duties well.
The midfielder’s passing was solid enough, though he left most of the more creative work in possession to his teammates on this occasion.
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