After Kai Havertz scored twice to help Arsenal defeat Chelsea 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium and go three points clear of the Premier League, Mikel Arteta praised his “unbelievable” performance.
The 24-year-old, who had a difficult time in his early games after moving from Stamford Bridge to north London in the summer, put on an incredible show against his old team as the leaders inflicted further damage on visiting manager Mauricio Pochettino, who watched his ninth-place team suffer its worst-ever league loss against Arsenal.
Arteta’s team triumphed for the second time in four days, extending their comeback from consecutive defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, thanks to two goals from Havertz during an eighteen-minute burst in the second half.
According to Arteta, “He (Havertz) was unbelievable, in every way.”
“It was a remarkable contribution from a nine to score two goals in the manner that he did. Although it’s up to him, I’m sure he’s thrilled.
In just four minutes, the Arsenal assault got underway when Declan Rice passed the ball into a path to the left of the penalty box. Leandro Trossard, making his first Premier League start, took over, diving past defender Alfie Gilchrist and thudding it between Djordje Petrovic’s knees.
Chelsea then battled valiantly, coming dangerously close to tying the score in the space of less than 20 minutes after the break when Axel Disasi narrowly missed a flick-on from a corner and again when Nicolas Jackson’s shot was deflected onto the post by Gabriel.
Havertz scored his first goal of the game with a lofted finish over the goalkeeper after Ben White was the first to react quickly and sweep home Rice’s blocked shot.
After White produced the goal of the game with a cross-shot that soared across the goal’s face and in after Martin Odegaard’s assist, the former Chelsea forward made it 4-0 with a shot that ping-ponged in off the post with Petrovic stranded.
“Both collectively and individually, it was a big performance,” Arteta remarked. Despite having played two more games than Manchester City and one more than Liverpool, his team went up to the top before Sunday’s derby against Tottenham.
“We faced a formidable team that was playing well and would undoubtedly pose many issues to us, but I felt we were extremely excellent. I believe we did a great job responding.
From the beginning, we played with great daring, determination, and flow, creating opportunities. Really pleased with the outcome. For our supporters, today is significant.
“We feel like we can win games the way we did tonight, and it gives us great confidence and belief that we can compete on these platforms against elite teams.” We have a huge one on Sunday, so enjoy it now and get back to work tomorrow.
Following a humiliating defeat, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino—for whom Arteta had expressed “all the sympathy in the world”—gave a somber appraisal of his team’s chances of making it to Europe.
“After this game, we feel disappointed, so it is difficult to see the future right now,” he stated. Speaking about goals is challenging.
“Okay, if we compete like we did on Saturday (when we lost to City in the FA Cup semifinal), then. However, I believe that if we compete like we do now, we should be admitted to Europe. No, this is how I perceive it.