London (AFP)
Arsenal conceded a painful defeat in the final minutes to Chelsea (1-2) in the first match of their new coach Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium.
With goals from Jorginho and Tammy Abraham in the final ten minutes of regulation time, Chelsea pocketed three points against Gunners who thought they had a convincing win.
The Gunners' state of mind has long given the impression that nothing could happen to them. Twenty good first minutes on the offensive side, with a good Mesut Özil, allowed Arsenal to make the difference, by Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang (13th, 1-0).
Then, Arsenal was able to respond to the physical challenge of the Blues, who received three yellow cards in four minutes for Kanté, Mount and Rüdiger in half an hour of play. Thanks to a stronger defensive axis than in the past, with in particular a David Luiz in form, they conceded no clear opportunity for a good part of the match.
But despite the change of coach, Arsenal again scuttled on an individual error.
A disastrous exit from Bernd Leno, on a free kick from Mason Mount on the left, allowed Jorginho to equalize by pushing the ball from the head into the empty goal (83rd, 1-1).
And four minutes later, on a corner favorable to the Gunners, the Blues led a masterful counterattack, with Tammy Abraham at the conclusion which pushed an offering of Willian between the legs of Leno (87th, 1-2).
This defeat confirms that it will take time for Mikel Arteta, who did not stop gesturing throughout the game, to restore confidence to his players.
They are now twelfth in the standings, eleven points behind the last qualifying place for the Champions League, just occupied by Chelsea.
© 2019 AFP