Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE: Result and reaction from London derby as Gunners go back top of Premier League

Arsenal are the Premier League leaders once again after a dominant first half display blew Chelsea out of the water at the Emirates Stadium. Right from the kick off the Gunners pushed high up the pitch to take advantage of a Chelsea team low on confidence.

Granit Xhaka – superb all night for the hosts – pulled an early save out for Kepa Arrizabalaga before the Chelsea keeper kept out a header from Bukayo Saka. The pressure on the Blues only mounted and it was Xhaka who supplied Martin Odegaard on the edge of the box and the Arsenal captain turned it home with a curling side-footed strike.

Xhaka and Odegaard combined again in a very similar move to send the Gunners two up before Gabriel Jesus turned a loose ball home from inside the six-yard area three minutes later to give the hosts full control.

They went into the break with a comfortable that Chelsea never looked like overturning. One bright spark for them though was the performance of Noni Madueke who was fast and direct enough to enough a consolation goal midway through the second half thanks to a darting run in behind.

The performance was worthy of three points and Arsenal are back at the top of the Premier League.

Relive the action as Arsenal hosted Chelsea in the Premier League:

Arsenal vs Chelsea

• Arsenal defeat Chelsea in a Premier League London derby to move back to top of Premier League

• 65’ GOAL! - Madueke pulls one back for Arsenal (ARS 3-1 CHE)

• 51 OFF THE LINE! - Thiago Silva volleys Gabriel’s effort off the line (ARS 3-0 CHE)

• 34’ GOAL! - Jesus adds a quickfire third for the Gunners (ARS 3-0 CHE)

• 31’ GOAL! - Odegaard and Xhaka combine to add a second (ARS 2-0 CHE)

• 24’ SAVE! - Ramsdale pushes Chilwell’s effort wide (ARS 1-0 CHE)

• 18’ GOAL! - Odegaard opens the scoring with lovely finish (ARS 1-0 CHE)

• 15’ CLOSE! - Saka’s header is turned wide by Kepa (ARS 0-0 CHE)

• 6’ SAVE! - Kepa denies Xhaka from close range (ARS 0-0 CHE)

Arsenal FC 3 - 1 Chelsea FC

FT Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

22:03 , Mike Jones

Chelsea found themselves three goals down at half time in a Premier League London derby for only the second time, with the previous occasion also coming against Arsenal at the Emirates (3-0 down in September 2016).

FT Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

22:00 , Mike Jones

Full-time: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:56 , Mike Jones

90+5 mins: Arsenal did what they needed to do. They have to win all of their remaining games to keep the pressure on Manchester City in the title race.

These three points take them back to the top of the table but City still have two games in hand and are favourites to win the league.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:52 , Mike Jones

90+3 mins: Chance! A long ball comes up the pitch from Chelsea. Kai Havertz out muscles Rob Holding and meets the bouncing ball inside the box.

He rattles a shot at goal and forces a decent stop out of Aaron Ramsdale.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:51 , Mike Jones

90 mins: Five minutes of added time to play. As it stands Arsenal are going top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:47 , Mike Jones

88 mins: Chelsea get the ball into the final third and Hakim Ziyech sends a pass inside to N’Golo Kante. Kante then slips a threaded pass into the penalty area but Cesar Azpilicueta can’t keep it play despite a fine overlapping run.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:44 , Mike Jones

85 mins: Cesar Azpilicueta has a few choices words for Gabriel as the Chelsea defender is finally subbed off the pitch. Rob Holding comes on to replace him.

Thomas Partey also comes on at the expense of Jorginho.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:40 , Mike Jones

82 mins: Gabriel is down for the third time in the game and looks to have at least one niggle that’s causing him an issue. The centre-back will play on but Rob Holding has been sent out to warm up.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:38 , Mike Jones

80 mins: Conor Gallagher wins a free kick over on Chelsea’s left wing and Mykhailo Mudryk swings the set piece into the middle. Thiago Silva challenges for the ball but Arsenal manage to turn it behind for a corner that then comes to nothing.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:36 , Mike Jones

77 mins: Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli work together on the left side for Arsenal to get the ball into the box. Xhaka’s flick into the penalty area is met by N’Golo Kante who boots the ball high up the pitch but Kai Havertz fails to control the clearance.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:33 , Mike Jones

74 mins: Reiss Nelson has had a decent back half to this season when called on by Mikel Arteta. He’s a bundle of energy and has an eye for goal often driving the rest of the team up the pitch with him.

Nelson comes on to replace Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney subs in for Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:30 , Mike Jones

71 mins: Cesar Azpilicueta yells out in pain after being brought down by Gabriel in a heavy tackle.

Frank Lampard takes the opportunity to make a couple of changes at the break in play. Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling are off with Conor Gallagher and Mykhailo Mudryk introduced.

The latter doesn’t receive a warm welcome after electing to move to Stamford Bridge instead of the Emirates.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

21:27 , Mike Jones

68 mins: Gabriel has an injury scare after Madueke’s goal and hobble around holding his knee. The medical staff come on to check him out and he’s fine to continue for now.

GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea (Madueke, 65’)⚽️

21:24 , Mike Jones

65 mins: Chelsea pull one back! Mateo Kovacic floats a pass over the top as Noni Madueke makes his run in behind.

The Chelsea forward brings the ball down and doesn’t strike it well but somehow gets enough of the ball to prod it past Aaron Ramsdale and give the Blues some hope.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:21 , Mike Jones

63 mins: Cesar Azpilicueta is fuming that the referee awards Arsenal a corner kick after he forced Martinelli to run the ball out of play.

Martinelli then whips in the set piece and it drops to Bukayo Saka who scuffs his shot back into the box.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:18 , Mike Jones

60 mins: Mikel Arteta goes to the bench and replaces Leandro Trossard with Gabriel Martinelli - Arsenal’s top goal scorer this season.

That’s not a bad replacement with the team already three goals to the good.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:16 , Mike Jones

57 mins: Chance! Bukayo Saka weaves inside from the right side for Arsenal and gets to the edge of the box. He fizzes off a shot but pulls the effort wide of the nearest post.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:12 , Mike Jones

54 mins: Save! Granit Xhaka deserves a goal. He’s been mightily influential for Arsenal tonight and should have scored.

A nice run thorugh the middle takes it around Wesley Fofana into the box and he shoots but Kepa Arrizabalaga drops to the right and palms the ball behind.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:10 , Mike Jones

51 mins: Raheem Sterling blocks the free kick and deflects the ball behind for a corner. Trossard is on corner taking duties, he floats it over to Gabriel who wins the header and nods it towards goal.

Off the line! Gabriel’s effort is heading in but Thiago Silva brings the ball onto his thigh and volleys it clear!

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:08 , Mike Jones

48 mins: Gabriel Jesus is taken out by Cesar Azpilicueta over on the Chelsea’s right flank. The Gunners win a free kick that Leandro Trossard jogs over to float in.

Second half: Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:04 , Mike Jones

Arsenal restart the game.

Frank Lampard has made a change at half-time and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been hooked off at the break with Kai Havertz brought on in his place.

HT Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

21:01 , Mike Jones

Martin Ødegaard has scored 14 goals in the Premier League this season for Arsenal; the only central midfielder to score more goals in a single Premier League campaign for the Gunners is Cesc Fabregas in 2009-10 (15).

HT Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:57 , Mike Jones

Martin Ødegaard is the third Arsenal player to reach 20+ goals and assists combined in the Premier League this season, after Bukayo Saka (24) and Gabriel Martinelli (20).

Arsenal are the only side with 3+ players to have done so in this campaign.

HT Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:53 , Mike Jones

Half-time: Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:49 , Mike Jones

45+2 mins: The whistle goes to call time on the first half. Arsenal have been brilliant but Chelsea have made it easy for them. They’ve been allowed time and space to operate.

Martin Odegaard has scored twice with Gabriel Jesus adding a third to put the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League table as it stands.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:47 , Mike Jones

45 mins: Two minutes of added time to play at the end of the first half.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:44 , Mike Jones

43 mins: Noni Madueke receives the ball and sparks Chelsea into life with an enterprising run through the middle. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang eases into the left side of the box but can’t control the ball when Madueke picks him out.

The ball skips behind for a goal kick and the Arsenal fans give their former captain a bit of stick.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:42 , Mike Jones

40 mins: Wesley Fofana has stayed down after taking a knock in the face. He seems to be wincing and clutching his right eye, requiring some assistance from the physios.

He’ll be fine to play on.

Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

20:39 , Mike Jones

37 mins: Chelsea have been blown away by the Gunners here. From the start Arsenal seemed determined to get amongst Chelsea’s back line and force them to play inside their half.

The three goals will give Arsenal so much confidence after their hammering from Man City last time out.

GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea (Jesus, 34’)⚽️

20:36 , Mike Jones

34 mins: Arsenal are running rampant now! Ben White floats a cross into the box from the right wing, Gabriel Jesus chests it down and knocks it into the nearest defender.

The ball comes to Granit Xhaka who taps it back to Jesus and the striker turns it home from close range!

GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea (Odegaard, 31’)⚽️

20:33 , Mike Jones

31 mins: This is lovely play from Arsenal over on the left side. Granit Xhaka and Leandro Trossard fluidly switch positions as Arsenal pass the ball it little triangles.

Martin Odegaard runs around the back of Raheem Sterling and gets into the middle of the box as Xhaka sends in the cross. It’s simple for the Arsenal captain to meet the ball in space and he belts it into the back of the net!

Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

20:28 , Mike Jones

27 mins: Penalty shout from Arsenal! Leandro Trossard whips a cross into the penalty area and Wesly Fofana leaps into the air to block it.

He tries to pull his hand away and the ball clips it. The Arsenal players all appeal but the referee waves for play to go on and VAR doesn’t overturn the decision.

Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

20:26 , Mike Jones

24 mins: Save! Finally there’s a response from Chelsea. Enzo Fernandez flicks the ball over the top and plays in Ben Chilwell. He bursts past Bukayo Saka to recover the ball then drives it into the penalty area.

Ben White sprints back to challenge him but Chilwell gets off a shot and forces Aaron Ramsdale to push the ball wide of the far post.

Great save!

Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

20:21 , Mike Jones

21 mins: This is just the start that Mikel Arteta and Arsenal would have been hoping for. Chelsea have to respond somehow but they’re been forced further and further into their own half.

Can they wrestle some momentum away from the Gunners?

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Odegaard, 18’)⚽️

20:20 , Mike Jones

18 mins: There’s the opener and it has been coming!

Granit Xhaka is fed the ball out on the left side. He brings it to the side of the box before squaring a pass into the feet of Martin Odegaard.

He’s positioned just inside the penalty area and rolls a left-footed shot towards the near top corner. Kepa Arrizabalaga gets a hand on the shot and pushes it onto the underside of the crossbar but it bounces in off the woodwork!

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

20:17 , Mike Jones

15 mins: Close! A quick corner from Arsenal gets worked to the edge of the box where Jorginho slips it back out wide to Leandro Trossard.

Trossard whips a cross into the middle of the box and finds Bukayo Saka who leaps highest and turns a headed effort towards goal. Kepa Arrizabalaga jumps over to the left and turns the ball wide of the far post.

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

20:12 , Mike Jones

12 mins: Granit Xhaka makes a run into space down the inside left channel and is slipped the ball by Gabriel Jesus. Xhaka’s first touch is poor which allows N’Golo Kante enough time to nip back and recover the ball.

As these opening minutes have developed it’s been Arsenal pushing their weight around and trying to get into Chelsea’s final third. The Blues are slightly under pressure here and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks increasingly isolated up top.

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

20:09 , Mike Jones

9 mins: There’s been a few physical tackles throw in from both teams already in this game. The referee is letting most of them go and allowing the play to flow.

Thiago Silva shepherds a loose ball out for a goal kick and Bukayo Silva gives him a nudge sending the defender into the advertising boards.

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

20:06 , Mike Jones

6 mins: Save! A long ball up the pitch from Jakub Kiwior comes to Gabriel Jesus inside the box. The striker does enough to nod the ball down to the left side of the penalty area where it bounces up for Cesar Azpilicueta.

The Chelsea captain attempts to nod the ball back to Kepa Arrizabalaga but underhits the header, Granit Xhaka bursts past him then pokes the ball towards goal but can’t get it around the goalkeeper who drops low to keep it out!

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

20:04 , Mike Jones

3 mins: Noni Madueke is given the ball on the right wing for Chelsea. He’ll want to impress tonight but his first real involvement sees Oleksandr Zinchenko press up quickly and poke the ball out for a throw in.

Kick off: Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

20:02 , Mike Jones

Chelsea get the match underway at the Emirates stadium. They send the ball over to Cesar Azpilicueta before the Blues switch the play.

The try to find a way into the Arsenal box through Raheem Sterling but the Gunners recover the ball and send it up to Bukayo Saka who flies into space on the right side.

He carries the ball into the final third and goes for goal but his effort gets blocked. Some start this.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:56 , Mike Jones

Mikel Arteta’s side have won a top-flight record nine of their 11 London derbies this season, drawing the other two. Will they add another victory to the tally tonight?

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:52 , Mike Jones

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has not started a game for Chelsea since the reverse league fixture against his former club Arsenal on 6th November.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:49 , Mike Jones

Gabriel Martinelli has 15 Premier League goals in 2022-23, the joint-most by a Brazilian player in a season. Roberto Firmino scored 15 for Liverpool in 2017-18.

But, he starts on the bench for Arsenal tonight.

Pre-match thoughts from Frank Lampard

19:46 , Mike Jones

“Our job is to look at performances and mentality in training to try and bring back a good feeling. That only comes with hard work,” said Chelsea’s interim coach, Frank Lampard.

“I enjoy that challenge and I was very aware of it coming in. I’m very proud to manage the club, I love being here and doing my job. You can’t always control the results, but you can work every day.

“I’ve been here in moments where confidence has been low because nobody likes losing games, I had moments as a player where we dropped our standards as a collective and we had to lift it.

“Looking through history, we managed to get it back through hard work, the level of the squad.

“It is different now in terns of the type of player and the squad we have here and what expectations are. We can only consider the future and work really hard to get the squad where we want it.”

This is not over – Mikel Arteta says Arsenal can still win Premier League title

19:41 , Mike Jones

Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal are still gunning for the Premier League title as he praised his squad for refusing to settle for Champions League qualification.

Having topped the table for much of the season, Arsenal slipped from the summit following Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

City have now won eight successive league games, including a 4-1 humbling of the Gunners last week which put a fifth title in six years in their own hands.

Conversely, Arsenal have taken just three points from their last four fixtures but their form over the course of the campaign has at least guaranteed a return to Champions League football after six seasons away from Europe’s top table.

This is not over – Mikel Arteta says Arsenal can still win Premier League title

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:36 , Mike Jones

It’s 13 defeats in 32 league matches for Chelsea this season. They have only once lost more in a 20-team Premier League campaign, with 15 defeats in 1997/98.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:31 , Mike Jones

Chelsea’s only goal in the last seven games was a deflected shot by Conor Gallagher versus Brighton.

Frank Lampard is winless in 15 competitive fixtures, losing the last nine, since Everton’s 3-0 Premier League home victory against Crystal Palace in October.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:26 , Mike Jones

Arsenal have dropped points in seven of their last 14 league fixtures, in contrast to just three of their opening 19 this season. The Gunners could concede multiple goals in five consecutive league matches for the first time since May to August 1985.

The title race is not over says Arteta

19:21 , Mike Jones

Arsenal are without a win in four games and want to “put things right” at home to Chelsea says manager Mikel Arteta who also believes that the Gunners are still in the title race.

“We can still achieve the Premier League because there are five games to go and a lot of things are going to happen still,” he said. “When I look at it, this is not over.

“It is not in our hands any more. What is in our hands is to try to win the games we have left and the rest is down to City. I have not had to pick up the mood of the players. They keep the fire in the belly.”

The Arsenal fixation that gave up the title race to Manchester City

19:16 , Mike Jones

Sitting there defeated, in demeanour as well as result, Mikel Arteta was asked a pointed question. Has the Premier League got to the point where it needs Manchester City to have a bad season in order for anyone else to win the title? The only time anyone else has won the Premier League in the last six years, after all, was the only time City got fewer than 86 points.

Arteta was naturally not in the mood to get into this.

“I don’t know the answer to that. We lost today here, we have to accept that. We lost in a very different way at the Emirates. Today the quality of the performance was very far from what was required.”

It prompts another question, a remarkable one when you consider that Arsenal are still top of the league with just five games left. Do Arteta’s side have what it takes to continue the title race – let alone win it?

The problem Arsenal face is inherent to the emphatic defeat they suffered.

The Arsenal fixation that gave up the title race to Manchester City

Arsenal vs Chelsea

19:11 , Mike Jones

Chelsea have lost all five league and cup matches since Frank Lampard returned as manager.

It is their longest losing streak since a run of six from October to November 1993.

Arsenal vs Chelsea team changes

19:06 , Mike Jones

Mikel Arteta makes three changes to the Arsenal team. Jakub Kiwior comes into defence to replace Rob Holding with Jorginho in midfield ahead of Thomas Partey. Gabriel Martinelli is on the bench with Leandro Trossard starting oon the wide left.

Frank Lampard makes just two changes for Chelsea as Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher are replaced with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Noni Madueke.

By the looks of the line-up Chelsea will set up with a back four tonight.

Arsenal vs Chelsea line-ups

19:02 , Mike Jones

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Xhaka Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Trossard

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Fofana, Thiago Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic; Madueke, Aubameyang, Sterling

Arteta on raising spirits after City defeat

18:55 , Mike Jones

“It is difficult but in sport you have to accept the reality, and when a team is able to take the game to a different level and you’re not able to step up to that, you have to recognise that there is still work to do, not get confused, be very humble and recognise what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are to be better.”

Those were the thoughts of Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, when assessing why his Arsenal side were so heavily beaten by Premier League title rivals Manchester City last time out.

Speaking in his press conference yesterday, Arteta added:

“The reality is as well that for 247 days we have been with them, and tomorrow can be another where we are still there. There are five games to go so there are a lot of things that we have done well for 10 months.

“It is not about the mood, it is about keeping that fire in the belly for tomorrow.”

Arsenal vs Chelsea latest odds

18:50 , Mike Jones

Unsurprisingly Arsenal are the heavy favourites for to win this evening’s match against London rivals Chelsea but they’ve fallen well behind Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title with Pep Guardiola’s men now overwhelming favourites to clinch the trophy.

Here are the latest odds from BettingSites.co.uk:

Arsenal vs Chelsea match odds

Arsenal: 1/2

Draw: 10/3

Chelsea: 5/1

Premier League title winner

Man City: 1/16

Arsenal: 9/1

Arsenal vs Chelsea

18:45 , Mike Jones

Arsenal have won five of the last six meetings between the two sides in all competitions. The exception being a 2-0 Premier League defeat at Emirates Stadium in August 2021.

The Gunners can beat Chelsea in three consecutive league games for the first time since 2003 to 2004.

I love being here – Frank Lampard relishing Chelsea challenge despite struggles

18:40 , Mike Jones

Frank Lampard insists he still loves being at Chelsea and is relishing the challenge of turning the club’s fortunes around.

Lampard has lost all five of his games in charge since returning to the club earlier this month for a second spell as manager, this time as caretaker, after Graham Potter was sacked.

Chelsea were booed off at half-time during last week’s 2-0 home defeat to Brentford, which extended their winless run in all competitions to eight matches, and sit six points adrift of the Premier League’s top 10.

They play at title-chasing London rivals Arsenal on Tuesday and when asked if he still relished coming into work, Lampard said: “Absolutely. My eyes were open when I came into this job.”

I love being here – Frank Lampard relishing Chelsea challenge despite struggles

Arteta on how Arsenal approach the title race

18:35 , Mike Jones

Inthe build-up to tonight’s game Mikel Arteta was asked what more Arsenal need to do to ensure they stay in the title race and he replied:

“Win tomorrow - that’s what we have to do.

“Within the disappointment and the spirit around [the club], we need to do two things - recognise what a lot of people around the club have done to get us back into the Champions League, which was already a difficult thing to achieve.

“Not a lot of people were very optimistic that we had the ability to do that at the start of the season, and we need to start recognising the good work that a lot of people have done to achieve that.

“The second thing - which I like the most - is that even achieving that with six games to go - something that hasn’t happened in more than a decade at this club - that we are still not satisfied, still upset and we want more.

“We want the club to be consistently with the best, that’s the mentality we need and that’s what I’ve loved most over the last few days.”

Arsenal vs Chelsea

18:30 , Mike Jones

Arsenal have won four of their last five Premier League games against Chelsea, as many as they had in their previous 23 against the Blues.

The Gunners are looking to win three consecutive league games against Chelsea for the first time since February 2004.

They could also achieve a second league double in three seasons against the Blues, having done so just once in the previous 20 campaigns.

Lampard on Arsenal

18:25 , Mike Jones

Frank Lampard spoke about Arsenal’s progression under Mikel Arteta and how Chelsea should look to that formula with the goal of long term progression in mind.

“It could be either way [whether a good time to play us or not] depending on how you look at things.” said Lampard, “They’re still very much in the hunt to win the Premier League, they’re a fantastic team who have had a great season.

“If they’re wounded slightly, then that could give a big reaction but equally if we can make life difficult for them, then of course that could feel different.

“I think it’s interesting to compare the Arsenal story with ours. We all had a little insight into Arsenal and how they operate through the Amazon series and I think what you see is that there’s a long process to get to where you want to.

“Do we have the possibility to do that here at Chelsea? Yes. Will it take time and through good decisions along the way? Absolutely yes.”

Can things get any worse for Chelsea? They won’t like the answer

18:20 , Mike Jones

The Roynaissance has come at a cost. Not to Crystal Palace or Roy Hodgson but to his captain in his last game at a World Cup. Nine years after Frank Lampard led England in a stalemate against Costa Rica to ensure Hodgson’s team left the tournament with a solitary point, he finds himself at the helm of another side facing a historic low.

Crystal Palace’s win over West Ham demoted Chelsea to the status of the sixth-best team in London, at least if the standings are to be believed, and puts them 12th in the table. End the season now and it would be their worst finish since 1994.

Yet that was before Chelsea were in the elite, before the era of the superclub. Now such clubs can only fall so far, protected by their greater resources and talent.

As a general rule, they bottom out in eighth place. Liverpool are set for a 61st consecutive top-eight finish, Manchester United for a 33rd in the top seven; even amid the seeming disaster of some seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, they never actually finished eighth, let alone below that.

Arsenal had twin years that ended in eighth under Mikel Arteta, falling as far as 15th during the 2020-21 campaign, but have not ended up any lower since 1995. Since being supercharged by Sheikh Mansour’s investment, Manchester City came fifth in the 2009-2010 campaign and in the top four ever since. Tottenham gravitated more organically to the higher bracket but even traumatic campaigns have ended in the top eight.

Can things get any worse for Chelsea? They won’t like the answer

Arsenal vs Chelsea prediction

18:15 , Mike Jones

Arsenal will get back on track a little with a win over a Chelsea side that has looked lost in recent weeks.

The intensity of a London derby will see the Blues improve on their recent performances but Mikel Arteta’s side should be strong enough to edge past them especially with home advantage.

Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Arsenal vs Chelsea predicted line-ups

18:10 , Mike Jones

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Jesus.

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Fofana, Chilwell; Fernandez, Kante, Gallagher; Felix, Aubameyang, Sterling.

Waht is the early team news?

18:05 , Mike Jones

Arsenal are likely to again be without William Saliba, with the centre half’s ill-timed back injury continuing to cause Mikel Arteta issues defensively. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are also currently absent.

Mason Mount and Reece James have joined Chelsea’s injury list, with the two England internationals ruled out for what remains of the campaign . There is similar concern over Kalidou Koulibaly’s calf injury, too, with the defender battling to play again before season’s end, but Kai Havertz could be fit to feature.

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea

18:00 , Mike Jones

Arsenal vs Chelsea is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 2nd May at the Emirates Stadium in London. It was originally due to be held on Saturday, but was rescheduled due to policing issues.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the action via the Sky Go app.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

16:21 , Mike Jones

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Premier League action. It is a London derby that sees Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s men are still resolutely in the title race but gave up ground to Manchester City in their last outing. City defeated the Gunners 4-1 at the Etihad and a further victory over Fulham at the weekend sent the reigning champions to the top of the table. Arsenal will regain top spot with a win over Chelsea tonight and Arteta will know that to have any hopes of clinching the title away from City his side must win all of their remaining fixtures.

In contrast, Chelsea just need a win. They are languishing in the bottom half (12th) of the table after a run of eight matches without a victory - across all competitions. The Blues have lost every game since Frank Lampard returned as interim coach and that form looks set to continue against an Arsenal side eager to end the season on a high.

Kick off for this one is at 8pm and we’ll have all the build-up, team news and updates throughout the evening.