The derby turned into a punishment. Arsenal crushed Chelsea on Tuesday evening in a late match of the 29th day of the Premier League (5-0), and put pressure on their competitors in the title race. The Gunners (77 points) are three points ahead of Liverpool (74 pts), who face Everton this Wednesday, and Manchester City (73 pts), who play the first of their two late matches on Thursday at Brighton.
It is therefore the Citizens who are potentially best placed in this final sprint, which promises to be hot. But at least Arsenal have taken care of their goal difference against the Blues, a factor which could be important. Mikel Arteta’s players completely asphyxiated their opponents at the Emirates, opening the scoring in the 4th minute through Leandro Trossard.
The rest was the same, with two doubles from Ben White (52nd and 70th) and Kai Havertz (57th and 65th) in the heart of the second half. And again, this slap could have been wider as the domination of the Gunners was unchallenged.
On the Chelsea side, this shipwreck confirms the difficulties of Mauricio Pochettino’s men outside their bases. They have not won away from home since a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace more than two months ago.