Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea | CV Match Analysis

This article is translated from Coaches' Voice.

Opening: High-speed transitions

The match began at a frantic pace, with both teams creating plenty of transition opportunities, but neither side was able to establish a clear attacking structure in the opening 15 minutes. After taking an early lead, Chelsea's first-half attacks were very direct, mainly using switches of play to find Neto. Once Chelsea regained possession, Neto had already pushed up to the final line on the right, with an advancing right center-back providing support behind him. This allowed the visitors to create danger through quick counterattacks, targeting the spaces behind Arsenal's defense, especially the side where Tzolis was unable to recover quickly (below).

Alonso's Chelsea pressed aggressively after losing possession, aiming to immediately restrict Arsenal's build-up from the back and win the ball higher up the pitch. In these situations, the closest players would instantly step forward to pressure the ball carrier—Acheampong, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer combined to press Lewis-Skelly (below), while Lavia and Reece James marked Tzolis and Odegaard respectively, blocking Arsenal's forward passing routes.

Against the defending champions, Chelsea's aggressive approach was commendable, but once their press was broken, their back line became stretched. When Neto carried the ball and Acheampong moved higher to support the attack, Lacroix was forced to step out to track Havertz, creating huge horizontal gaps between Chelsea's defenders. In the 15th minute, Arsenal launched a counterattack: Tzolis combined cleverly behind Lavia and James to find Odegaard, creating a 3v2 situation against Chelsea's defense. Fofana and Hato (below) successfully delayed the attack while their teammates recovered. The styles of both teams made the match thrilling from the very beginning.

Chelsea's low block and Arsenal's adjustments

Without the ball, once forced back into their own final third, Alonso set Chelsea up in a 5-4-1 low block: five defenders covered the full width of the penalty area, limiting Arsenal's central penetration, while maintaining a compact midfield to reduce the threat from Arsenal's attacking midfielders' movements and rotations. Joao Pedro blocked the central link and was ready to press; Palmer and Rogers dropped into the two sides of a four-man midfield, with Lavia and James controlling the center. Neto dropped from a higher position into the right wing-back role in the defensive line, while Hato recovered on the left (below). As a result, whenever Arsenal attempted to build through the middle, Chelsea's three center-backs were ready to step forward aggressively to intercept.

Arsenal's attacking movements remained as fluid as ever: Ben White and Saka frequently exchanged positions on the right, Tzolis was free to move inside on the left, and Calafiori made forward runs into the left half-space. However, Arsenal's clearest method of bypassing Chelsea's defensive structure was to move Havertz to the right flank, creating an overload on the left side of Chelsea's defensive structure. After Ben White moved inside, Havertz joined Odegaard, Saka and Declan Rice on the right, repeatedly creating 3v2 situations against Rogers and Hato (below). Arsenal combined in this area, creating chances through runs into the half-space and attacks behind the defensive line—Havertz's equalizer came after he received the ball in a wider right position. When Lavia and Fofana were drawn toward the ball side to close space, Arsenal could also pull Chelsea's shape to one side before playing back or switching play to exploit the weak side.

Arsenal's winning goal in the second half followed a similar pattern: the ball was moved to Tzolis on the left—he received and carried inside while Acheampong stepped forward to defend—while Calafiori made a run into the half-space (below). The latter's movement attracted Lacroix and Neto, who was covering Acheampong's position; Lavia, as the ball-side midfielder, was also pulled out. Arsenal therefore did not create an outside overload against Chelsea's structure, but instead created opportunities to attack the internal spaces—large gaps appeared between the midfield pairing of Lavia and James, as well as between central defender Lacroix and Fofana on the other side. James had no time to recover centrally and track Odegaard's run from deep, allowing Tzolis to play the ball to the Arsenal captain in the middle, and Odegaard's finish put Arsenal ahead.

Given Arsenal's excellent defensive record, Chelsea's hopes of finding another equalizer afterwards were slim—but the Gunners still needed Raya to make a superb late save from Estevao's shot to secure the win. After nearly seven years of work under Arteta, the defending champions have never looked this strong. Chelsea, meanwhile, are still at the beginning of Xabi Alonso's tenure, and the team remains a work in progress.

⬇️Follow us on all platforms for continuous updates.⬇️