Arsenal managed to beat third-placed Chelsea away from home to win an important three points in the race for Champions League football next season, putting them level on points with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal went to Stamford Bridge and played aggressively, pressing high up the pitch from the off, but they made some adjustments to their press just minutes into the match, even before Chelsea had managed to exploit the gap they left.
“I think it will help because it gives you confidence and belief you can do it on the biggest stage, away from home against the top teams in this league,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said after the game. “Hopefully they can believe more in themselves.
“That’s the game that we had in hand. I said to them if you want to play Champions League football you have to come to places like this and win. Tonight we’ve done it and I’m really proud of them tonight, but I’m more proud of how they’ve reacted to every defeat over the past few weeks. Not only the players but as a staff and a club, and that’s what reinforces me and gives me a reminder of how lucky I am to be here.
“What I love is the spirit of these players. When you lose matches, you get punished, you get criticised but for these players I don’t care because it’s so worth it. They are phenomenal people and as a group they are really growing. To win a London derby away from home and how we did it, I am really happy.”
In this video we examine how Arsenal pressed Chelsea and how they changed this set-up to continue doing so.
No responses yet