July 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during the match against Liverpool at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Image Arsenal will look to move a step closer to their first Premier League title in 22 years when they take on a Chelsea side on Sunday managing improved performances under new manager Liam Rosenior.
The Gunners (18-3-7, 61 points) maintained a five-point lead over Manchester City with a 4-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday, but City still have a game in hand.
Ebereci Eze and Victor Gyokeres each had a brace as Arsenal pulled away after a first half that ended 1-1 tied.
The achievement took Gyokeres to 10 league goals in his first English season following his move from Sporting Lisbon this summer. Five of those goals have come in the Sweden international’s last five league appearances.
“I think one thing leads to another.” Gunners manager Mikel Arteta explained. “You perform well when you score the first goal, you get to spend more time with your teammates, you understand the game, the opposition, the league better, it all helps.”
As a result, Arsenal won their fifth consecutive North London derby and extended their unbeaten run to eight games. Against Chelsea, the Gunners made it 10 unbeaten in all competitions, with seven wins including two EFL Cup semi-finals in November and January.
But fifth-place Chelsea (12-6-9, 45 points) showed improvement under new coach Rosenior despite being caught off guard by the decision to replace Enzo Maresca.
The Blues compiled an 8-2-2 record under him in all competitions, with the EFL Cup defeat being their only loss. In the league, Chelsea have taken 14 points from six games, a pace that would see them finish above Arsenal if extended to the whole season.
Despite this, they started three points behind Manchester United in their quest for next season’s UEFA Champions League final place. And with UCL round of 16 clashes against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain looming, things could get even more difficult from here.
Rosenior doesn’t see it that way.
“The Premier League is so difficult every week. With the challenges we face every week, the different tactical problems and the physicality of the league, I don’t judge one game to be more difficult than another,” he said. “I’m happy with this group. I’m happy with the start we’ve made. We’ve won eight out of 12, we should be 10 out of 12, that’s not bad.”
Rosenior also revealed that captain Reece James is available after the defensive midfielder suffered a minor injury in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Burnley.
–Field level media
–Field level media
