Frank Lampard’s return to Stamford Bridge as interim boss has not gone well, with Chelsea losing all six of their games in charge, including a heavy defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Gunners moved back to the top of the Premier League with their first win in four matches, giving them a much-needed boost to their title hopes while condemning Chelsea to yet another defeat.
After the 3-1 loss in north London, Lampard criticized his side, branding them ‘too nice’ and saying that the first half wasn’t good enough in every way.
He praised their performance in the second half, but said they were too easy to play against in the opening 45 minutes. Lampard blamed their low confidence for the poor first-half display but insisted that they need to do the basics better to improve as a club.
On the other hand, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was overjoyed with the win and spoke of his team’s belief in their chances of winning the title. Despite a recent run of poor form, Arteta refused to rule Arsenal out of the race, and the win over their town rivals served as an adrenaline shot to their hopes.
Although there were many positives to take from the game, including Odegaard’s two goals, Xhaka’s assists, and breaking a winless streak, Arsenal’s victory also came at a cost, with central defender Gabriel limping off with an ankle problem in the second half.
Nevertheless, Arteta was delighted with the win, saying that it was proof that his players still believed in their chances of winning the league and that he would not allow anyone to stop talking about it.
With just four games to go, Arteta urged his players to enjoy and embrace the opportunity they have to be where they are right now, as they don’t know what will happen in the remaining fixtures.
🗣️| Mikel Arteta on how much Arsenal needed the result vs Chelsea:
⁰“I don’t have a number, but personally a lot because if we want to have any chance to win this league we had to win today.“There was something there, we wanted to be back on top, after tonight we are and our… pic.twitter.com/URo0vG2c5p
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) May 3, 2023