Frank Lampard had a slight dilemma on this visit to the Emirates - field a back three that decisively defeated Mourinho’s Tottenham two match days previously or revert to a back four that they’ve utilized effectively throughout the season. He opted to retain the 3-4-2-1 shape and his side initially suffered because of it. In hindsight his decision to start off with this approach does make some sense. Arsenal fielded a 4-2-3-1 that played in a somewhat similar manner to Mourinho’s Spurs so it was logical to roll the die once more with that approach.

The match was essentially a game of 3 distinct thirds. The first third was characterized by Arsenal bossing the game and setting the tempo. The second third began when Jorginho came on in place of Emerson and Chelsea reverted to a 4-3-3. Arsenal were fairly toothless during this spell and Chelsea enjoyed plenty of possession. The final third of the match verged on bedlam as both sides struggled to impose their will on the game. Chelsea were able to set the tempo however Arsenal looked dangerous on the counter but were unable to consistently orchestrate any clear cut opportunities.

Arsenal’s dominance in the first 35 minutes can be attributed to their 3 v 2 advantage in the center midfield, Chelsea’s inability to assign responsibility for picking up Arsenal’s fullbacks, and Chelsea’s failure to push up their wingbacks. From a purely formation focused point of view the former is a bit confusing. Willian and Mason Mount were playing off of Tammy Abraham as withdrawn forwards so it should have been simple for them to selectively drop into the midfield to counter Arsenal’s midfield advantage. Mesuit Ozil had one of his better performances by virtue of Kovacic and Kante being occupied. He was able to find space in between the lines to get in a few deft touches.

Chelsea’s withdrawn forwards and wingbacks never quite communicated to each other who would pick up Arsenal’s full backs as they advanced. Arsenal’s right back Maitland Niles had plenty of time on the ball within the first third. Willian did very little to prevent him from receiving the ball. This was especially pronounced when the ball was near the halfway line. As a result of this Meitland Niles was able to play a few passes to Reis Nelson who was able to torment Emerson with his pace. Furthermore Chelsea’s fullbacks played extremely limited roles going forward. Arsenal successfully pinned them back ensuring Chelsea played a back five which limited their dynamism going forward.

It would be a disservice to explain away Arsenal’s slight dominance in the first 30 minutes solely in terms of Chelsea’s deficiencies. Arsenal began the match by pressing high consistently, with numbers, and more importantly with purpose. Their defence also played a higher line than we’ve seen so far this season. This is a marked departure to their fairly placid approach when out of possession under previous coach Unai Emery. This condensed the space available in midfield and Chelsea’s back three were unable to pick passes into the midfield. They sought to bypass the press by spraying long balls towards Abraham or spraying passes out wide. The former approach was slightly successful by virtue of Abraham being stronger in the air than Arsenal’s midfield duo and centerbacks. The latter less so because the accuracy of the passes was extremely erratic. If only Chelsea had a player consistently capable of completing long range passes from similar positions?

Lampard was wise to this and reverted to a 4-3-3 by bringing on Jorginho in place of Emerson. Unsurprisingly, he took up his usual role in midfield and Chelsea were able to wrestle back control of the midfield. Jorginho found time on the ball and was able to link offense and defence with his simple and consistent passing. An interesting consequence of his substitution was Azpilicueta being flipped over to the left and Tomori slotting into right back. This is surprising for two reasons:

1.) Azpilicueta predominantly features down the right side as a fullback. I can’t recall a spell of his career when he played on the left.Tomori was the left sided center back so one would expect him to play left back in the back four.

2.) Azpilicueta is a solid player that I rate more for his work rate and defensive solidity than his attacking prowess. Contrast this with the younger Tomori who in my opinion is more technically sound and offers more going forward - despite featuring mostly at center back. Tomori playing down the right forced Aubameyang to be diligent in his defensive duties. He had to track back several times to engage in several outstanding pieces of last ditch defending. His duties were further compounded when the fresh and attack minded Lamptey came on for Tomori.

As we approached the final 30 minutes of regular time I couldn’t help but feel that this match had at least one more goal in it. Chelsea were firmly in control of possession but Arsenal threatened on the counter attack. Chelsea brought on Hudson-Odoi in place of Matteo Kovacic. He promptly took up position on Chelsea’s left and began tormenting Arsenal’s right back. Chelsea ceded numerical parity in midfield for some dynamism out wide but this didn’t seem to compromise their control in the center of the park. Unsurprisingly, the free kick that led to their opening goal was awarded on the same flank that Hudson-Odoi was located. Arsenal brought on Willock in place of Ozil. This was a fairly like for like change that yielded a little more urgency in midfield. Pepe also came on for Reiss Nelson but was unable to replicate his initial success dribbling towards goal.

Arsenal supporters shouldn’t be entirely despondent over the loss. Their side looked significantly better than they have all season. One can already see the foundations of Arteta’s playing philosophy being implemented in terms of more methodical pressing and a higher defensive line. It’s still early stages but the results do look promising.

Arsenal Chelsea English Premier League