Arsenal ended their winless streak in the Premier League with a resounding 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day, and manager Mikel Arteta hopes this win could be the season’s turning point.
The North London club came into the game in desperate need of a win and they will be overjoyed with the way things turned out. The hosts went into halftime with a two-nil lead thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka, before Bukayo Saka late added another score in the second half.
In the kind of match that can be the blueprint for the season going forward, the manager will be looking for more of what he saw today. The North Londoners controlled the game as they did not let Chelsea breathe easy.
The Spanish boss spoke about the importance of the win, given all the suffering of the players and fans so far this season. When asked about the impact of today’s triumph, Arteta said, per Sky Sports.
“It’s a really big win for us. We were really disappointed with the results – not so much the performances. Our players were suffering, our fans were suffering.
“It doesn’t get any better than winning a London derby against Chelsea on Boxing Day. Hopefully this is a turning point. I know they can play at this level. We know how good Chelsea are but big moments in the game we were the better team.
“The injuries, the Covid, playing 10 men…you start to think what do we need to win a match. It’s nice to give something back to fans because I can imagine they have been really disappointed. We started well and we were dominant. That gives the team confidence.”
Another encouraging factor from this game was the performance of youngsters such as Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli. These two in particular added a lot of energy and dynamism to the team.
Even with captain and primary goal scoring threat Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench, the Gunners looked dangerous. They were constantly pressing the visitors and forcing them into mistakes.
Arsenal will next be away to Brighton on Tuesday and that will be an important game. If the Gunners can get a win there, it can kickstart a good run of form. With the club in the bottom half of the table, it needs a sustained run of wins to move ahead in the standings. Saturday was a crucial day and the impact of it will be felt by everyone associated with the club.