Arsenal 3-1 win over Chelsea marked the end of a desperate 56-day wait for a Premier League victory as Chelsea fans experienced a perfect way to ruin the Christmas break.
Arsenal relatively had luck on boxing day. Suppose Chelsea won, Lampard’s side would have gone second with a win at the Emirates. Instead, it turned out to be a poor display in a 3-1 defeat that leaves them outside the top six. Lampard called out his side for lack of energy and desire. On the other hand, Arteta admitted his side “had let the fans down for many weeks”.
What Next after the win?
Arsenal had not won in the Premier League since Aubameyang’s penalty beat Manchester United at the start of November. The Gunners only had a longer run once without a win in the Premier League, going eight games winless until Paul Merson secured a win at Maine Road in January 1993.
They also had only won two of the last 17 league meetings against Chelsea but shrugged off all that baggage to open up a 2-0 lead at half-time thanks to Lacazette’s and Xhaka’s goal.
“It is a really special day”. Arteta said.
“It doesn’t get any better. Boxing Day, playing a London derby at the Emirates and winning the way we’ve done it. We were really disappointed and frustrated with the results. Not so much with the performances but the results”.
“The players were suffering, our fans were suffering and hopefully this is a turning point and will elevate the confidence of the team because I know that they can play at this level”.
Arsenal had to weather something of a late Chelsea storm and had Jorginho convert his penalty life could have been interesting for the hosts. But, Arteta was full of praise for his team’s spirit.
“From the first whistle, you could see the team had the energy and willingness to come out and win the game. The spirit before the game was really positive. They really wanted it. I am pleased for the players and for the supporters. We have let them down for many weeks. So, it was a good day to give them something to cheer about”.