Arsenal vs Chelsea final score, result, stats as Havertz piles misery on old club, Gunners clear at top of Premier League

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Dom Farrell
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Kai Havertz and Declan Rice
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Kai Havertz and Ben White each scored twice after halftime as Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 5-0 in a demolition derby at Emirates Stadium. With the win, Arsenal goes three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s squad was the first of three title chasers in action this midweek and could hardly have made a more emphatic statement to Liverpool and Manchester City.

Leandro Trossard fired a shot through Djordje Petrovic at the Chelsea goalkeeper’s near post to give the Gunners a fourth-minute lead.

Arsenal had the better of a first half where there were chances at both ends but no further goals — Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson continuing Chelsea’s damaging habit of missing clear chances either side of Gabriel diverting Jackson’s cross against his own post.

Arsenal vs Chelsea final score

  Fulltime Goalscorers
Arsenal 5 Trossard 4', White 52' 70', Havertz 57', 65'
Chelsea 0  

Lineups:

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 22. David Raya (GK) — 4. Ben White, 2. William Saliba, 6. Gabriel, 18. Takehiro Tomiyasu (35. Oleksandr Zinchenko) — 41. Declan Rice, 5. Thomas Partey (20. Jorginho), 8. Martin Odegaard — 7. Bukayo Saka (82. Fabio Vieira), 29. Kai Havertz (9. Gabriel Jesus), 19. Leandro Trossard (11. Gabriel Martinelli).

Chelsea (4-3-3, right to left): 28. Djordje Petrovic (GK) — 42. Alfie Gilchrist (6. Thiago Silva), 2. Axel Disasi, 5. Benoit Badiashile, 3. Marc Cucurella — 25. Moises Caicedo, 8. Enzo Fernandez (14. Trevoh Chalobah), 23. Conor Gallagher — 11. Noni Madueke (31. Cesare Casadei), 15. Nicolas Jackson, 10. Mykhailo Mudryk (7. Raheem Sterling).

MORE: Palmer neck-and-neck with Haaland in Premier League Golden Boot race

And, if you’re going to defend as Chelsea did in an atrocious spell after halftime, your finishing really has to be on point.

Mauricio Pochettno’s men ambled out when facing a short corner from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, who worked the ball to Declan Rice. The England midfielder’s shot was blocked but White was on hand to dispatch the rebound.

Havertz joined Arsenal from Chelsea for £65 million last summer, and the Germany international took centre stage to pile misery on his former employers. First he held off Marc Cucurella and rammed Odegaard’s brilliant pass high into the net, then he clipped Saka’s pass into the bottom corner as Chelsea passively trudged towards ignominy.

Odegaard produced a gem of a performance and there was time for another sumptuous assist when he lofted a pass towards White. The full-back meant to steer his volley across goal but he sliced it into the far corner. When things like that start flying in towards the end of a title race, you really start to believe.

MORE: Arsenal's Premier League title run-in broken down

Arsenal vs Chelsea stats

Arsenal Stat Chelsea
27 Shots 7
10 Shots on target 1
3.37 Expected goals (if applicable) 1.61
44% Possession 56%
495 Passes 619
4 Corners 2
12 Fouls 11
2 Yellow cards 2
3 Offsides 0

Arsenal vs Chelsea analysis

Arsenal slay demons to show they can be champions

When tension gripped Arsenal during the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa in their previous home game, people saw a familiar movie playing out. The subsequent Champions League exit to Bayern Munich confirmed it: Arsenal were blowing up during the run-in again. Given the weight of mirth and history, Arteta’s team have been immense over the past four days.

A tricky away assignment at Wolves was ticked off with a 2-0 win. No one could call what Chelsea served up in the second half here remotely tricky, but Arsenal ripped a rival that has often laughed at their expense to pieces. Few mourned Havertz’s exit from Stamford Bridge but he moved on to 11 priceless Premier League goals this season. The man who scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final produced a performance that underlined how much both clubs have changed.

Arsenal have unquestionably changed. The Villa loss stung and could still be decisive in the final analysis. If Manchester City win all their games, they will be champions again. Unlike last season, it feels like Arsenal are going to make them win them. Arteta has built a team that improves after their disappointments and that invaluable trait will see them scoop big prizes sooner rather than later.

Chelsea aren’t Cole Palmer FC, they’re whatever this is — and it’s much worse

Where to start with this lot, honestly? Before the game, when it looked like their mercurial top scorer Cole Palmer would be sidelined, Pochettino challenged his players to show everyone they are not Cole Palmer FC but Chelsea FC. As Oscar Wilde once wrote: “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”

Pochettino got the non-Palmer version of Chelsea FC. A shapeless rabble lacking composure in attack or the required nous in defence. They were 1-0 down inside four minutes, Petrovic was at fault and the goalkeeper still ended up being arguably their best player in a 5-0 defeat — their biggest ever against Arsenal.

In between that misfiring forward line and clown-car defence was the most expensive midfield duo in the history of football. A combined £222 million gets you Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, chasing shadows and incapable of imposing themselves as the redoubtable Conor Gallagher runs out of fingers to put in the dam.

Here’s the thing: Chelsea were unbeaten in eight Premier League games heading into this one, albeit with some outright silly draws in there. They pushed Manchester City to the limit in an FA Cup semifinal they should have won. But after those tentative shuffles forward came this diabolical topple backwards down several flights of stairs. 

Arsenal vs Chelsea live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

Chelsea were a touch fortunate to still be in it at halftime. At fulltime, they're a battered, bedraggled rabble. Arsenal have thrown down a huge marker to Liverpool and City, who play on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The Gunners are three point ahead of Liverpool, who play in the Merseyside derby tomorrow, but their goal difference is now at a level that their rivals are not going to match barring something stupid.

90th minute+7: Martinelli through on goal. Not for the first time in an absolute shellacking, Petrovic makes a fine save. Throw the damn towel!

90th minute+6: Sterling moves apologetically into the Arsenal box, passes to no one in particular in front of an away end where there's barely anyone left. A sad scene.

90th minute+1: Seven minutes of stoppage time. Feels mean.

88th minute: Ohh, that's close from Fabio Vieira, who rattles one into the side netting from the edge of the box. A fair few in the ground thought that was in.

83rd minute: Jesus with an outrageous no-look pass to Rice, who steers against the base of the post. Champagne stuff from Arsenal. Chelsea badly need this to end.

81st minute: A flurry of substitutions have taken the sting out of things. Arsenal almost seen to be showing mercy. Thiago Silva is on and clearing balls out of the Chelsea box, which is no way to be spending your time at 39 years of age.

70th minute: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Ben White!!!

It's hard to say he meant that but it's another wonderfully worked Arsenal goal. Odegaard lifts a delicate ball to White, whose side-footed volley floats past everyone and goal in at the far post. That was surely supposed to be a cross, but he won't mind.

68th minute: Sterling hits a free-kick straight at Raya. It's Chelsea's first shot on target.

66th minute: Sterling and Chalobah come on for Mudryk and Fernandez. All the very best, lads!

65th minute: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Kai Havertz!!!

Saka is allowed to saunter in-field by Cucurella. He finds Havertz in the box, who lets the ball run across his body and steers it into the bottom corner.

61st minute: For crying out loud, man! Just kick it in the goal! Madueke slips a pass to Jackson, who approaches the Arsenal goal and lamps one into the side-netting from about six yards. Inexplicable.

60th minute: Trossard charging through. Chelsea in danger of sinking without a trace here. Gilchrist heads behind for a corner. 

57th minute: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Kai Havertz!!!

Odegaard plays his latest fantastic pass through to Havertz, who holds of Cucurella and rifles high into the net. Chelsea wanted a foul for Gabriel's challenge on Madueke that started all that but the VAR is happy with it and it's a long, long way back for Pochettino's men now.

52nd minute: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Ben White!!!

Saka and Odegaard work the corner shot. Chelsea are static and passive. Rice takes aim, his shot is blocked and falls to White, who shovels it into the net.

51st minute: What a glorious reverse pass from Odegaard! Gilchrist has played Havertz onside. The Germany forward shoots low across goal but Petrovic gets his angles right and that's another fine save.

50th minute: The ball falls invitingly for Odegaard to slap a shot over from 25 yards. Arteta responds by asking the crowd for more volume.

49th minute: Gallagher is sold short by Badiashile and Odegaard bares down on the Arsenal defence. He finds Rice, whose shot is too close to Petrovic. That's another good chance that goes begging.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

Off we go again. No changes as yet for either side.

Halftime

That's flown by. It would have been a fairly bold prediction to say there would be no more goals after Arsenal carved Chelsea open and Leandro Trossard scored in the fourth minute. Chelsea have created chances and missed them because that's what they do. Arsenal have looked frequently dangerous and might yet rue leaving this one in the balance.

44th minute: Trossard is late and catches Cucurella. That will do wonders for his mood. The Arsenal man is booked. As is Mikel Arteta, who was oddly demonstrative about what was a very obvious yellow card.

43rd minute: Cucurella is wound up. He fouls Saka and then won't give Arsenal the ball back. Now both Chelsea full-backs are on yellow cards.

41st minute: Mudryk with a fine cross from the right. Jackson recoils from it. The ball hits his hand and his face and it's handball. That was a great chance. What was he doing?

38th minute: Gilchrist, who has endured a thorough examination on his full Premier League debut, thunders into a fine tackle on Trossard. The Belgian winger responds by trying to whip up the home crowd.

30th minute: Close for Chelsea again! Madueke gets down the right and flashes across the face of goal. It runs to Cucurella, whose shot is blocked near the goalmouth by White. The visitors keep the ball alive and Fernandez side-foots narrowly wide.

27th minute: Magnificent save from Petrovic, who is doing plenty to atone for his part in the first goal. Trossard gets a shot away on the turn and Disasi looks to have diverted it into his own net. The Chelsea goalkeeper showed outstanding reactions there.

26th minute: Havertz chests down to Odegaard, who finds Trossard. His effort is blocked but Arsenal keep their attack rumbling. Petrovic saves from Saka. Then he makes a better stop to deny Havertz.

24th minute: Chelsea hit the post! Jackson gets on the afterburners and gets away from Saliba. His low cross comes off Gabriel and against the base of the post. Arsenal struggle to clear their lines from the corner but eventually get a handle on things.

23rd minute: Magical little bit of footwork from Odegaard. Saka, straining, just can't finish.

21st minute: Saka goes dancing inside a few non-commital Chelsea challenges. His shot is blocked. Now Rice with a lovely turn to fire over from the edge of the box.

19th minute: Sumptuous delivery from Gallagher, Badiashile flicks on and Disasi just can't make a telling connection. He should have scored. Chelsea missing really good chance again is it?

18th minute: Not entirely sure what Saka was trying to do there. It almost certainly wasn't booting the ball out from the halfway line for a Chelsea corner.

16th minute: Jackson with a chance to stretch his legs. Saliba blocks his shot and then a follow-up cross is cleared. Oohh that's a better ball. Gallagher whips one low across the face of goal. Madueke was on his heels a bit and didn't seem to anticipate the chance.

15th minute: Arsenal work it short this time and Odegaard floats in a lovely ball that Tomiyasu heads over unmarked. That was a better chance than he made it look.

14th minute: Saka with the inswinging corner. Petrovic goes to catch but Badiashile heads the ball away from his goalkeeper and out for a corner on the other side. Kind of sums up how those two have started.

10th minute: Given away by Badiashile, Havertz saunters into the area. He looks for Rice when he should have shot and the visitors clear. Chelsea are absolutely all over the place.

9th minute: Painful one for Tomiyasu as Jackson catches him going over the ball. No card for the Chelsea forward, which feels fortunate.

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4th minute: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Leandro Trossard!!!

Far too easy for Arsenal. Rice drives through midfield, twisting Gilchrist and leaving the youngster in two minds. That opens up the pass to Trossard who fires a shot through some pretty tame efforts from Petrovic at his near post.

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1st minute: White clips a pass in behind for Havertz and Badiashile is all over the place. Down goes the Arsenal forward, up goes the offside flag. Havertz was just off. Referee Simon Hooper would have had a huge decision to make otherwise.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Enzo Fernandez gets us underway. Chelsea kicking right to left.

4 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams, out to a full hour on a crisp north London evening. We're ready to rock'n'roll.

15 mins before kickoff: Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021. It's easy to forget given all the that's happened since, most notably an almost-total turnover of the playing squad. The man who scored the winner against Manchester City that night in Porto, Kai Havertz, leads the Arsenal attack tonight. Earlier this season, he seemed to have fallen into his Chelsea problem of no one really knowing his best role. But playing as a centre-forward with license to drop deep, he's helped Arsenal's array of creative talent to shine and is now Arteta's first choice ahead of Gabriel Jesus for most of the big games.

Kai Havertz celebrates an Arsenal goal
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

25 mins before kickoff: it's a big night for a couple of the forwards on show tonight. If all had gone to plan during the January 2023 transfer window, Mykhailo Mudryk would be turning out for Arsenal tonight. Instead, Chelsea blew the Gunners' bid out of the water and an as-yet difficult spell in west London for the Ukraine winger. Mikel Arteta picked up Leandro Trossard for a fraction of the price and it is hard to argue he has been anything other than far more effective.

Mudryk was on the scoresheet when he overhit a cross in the reverse fixture but now would be as good a time as any for him to belatedly demonstrate what all the fuss was about.

Mykhailo Mudryk
Getty Images

55 mins before kickoff: Thomas Partey comes into the Arsenal midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, meaning Kai Havertz is pushed back into the centre-forward position. Takehiro Tomiyasu is in at left-back.

1 hour before kickoff: The teams are in and Palmer has not made it for Chelsea. That's a huge blow for the visitors, who field a front three of Mykhailo Mudryk, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke. Malo Gusto is another key absentee, meaning a first Premier League start for homegrown youngster Alfie Gilchrist at right-back.

1 hr 20 mins before kickoff: Confirmed team news will be with us in 20 minutes and all eyes will be on whether Cole Palmer has made it for Chelsea. The attacking midfielder has been a revelation since moving to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City in August and his 20 goals have him level with Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League scoring charts. The 21-year-old is a doubt due to illness but Pochettino believe playing without Palmer could lay down a significant challenge to his players.

“It is a good challenge in case Palmer is not available,” he said. “It’s a good challenge for the teammates. If I am a teammate of Cole Palmer in his position or a similar position, I am going to be motivated to go there tomorrow and show this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.”

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1 hr 40 mins before kickoff: Chelsea have already put a dent in Arsenal's title hopes this season and it could have been worse for the Gunners. A penalty from Cole Palmer (more on him a little bit later) and an early second-half effort from Mykhailo Mudryk had the Blues 2-0 up at Stamford Bridge until Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard salvaged a point inside the final quarter of an hour.

Leandro Trossard after scoring for Arsenal against Chelsea
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

MORE: How Arsenal snatched 2-2 draw at Chelsea earlier this season

2 hrs 10 mins before kickoff: As a former Tottenham manager and current Chelsea boss, it's unlikely there'll be much kind sentiment reserved for Pochettino inside Emirates Stadium tonight. But his opposite number reserved some warm words at yesterday's pre-match press conference. Arteta was a young player making his way at Paris Saint-Germain when he and then-Argentina international defender Pochettino were team-mates for 18 months.

"He doesn't like it but to me, he was like a father," Arteta said. "He took me under his arm, gave me incredible advice and really protected me. I really learned a lot in those two years with him, from there we maintained a relationship. I admire him a lot for what he has done in his career."

Getty Images

2 hrs 40 mins before kickoff: Arsenal have been burned often enough in this fixture over the past couple of decades. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea ramming six past them to ruin Arsene Wenger's 1,000th game in 2014 stands out. But the Gunners are the stable, upwardly mobile club going for the sort of prizes Chelsea have become distant from. On the other hand, Mauricio Pochettino's side are unbeaten in their past eight games, have acquitted themselves pretty well in games against other "big six" teams this season and will fancy their chances.

3 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirate Stadium. Another key night in the title race awaits.

Arsenal vs Chelsea kick off time

This Premier League clash takes place at the Emirates Stadium in London, UK and kicks off on Tuesday, April 23 at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

  Date Kickoff time
USA Tues, Apr. 23 3:00 p.m. ET
Canada Tues, Apr. 23 3:00 p.m. ET
UK Tues, Apr. 23 8:00 p.m. BST
Australia Weds, Apr. 24 5:00 a.m. AEST
India Weds, Apr. 24 12:30 a.m. IST

STREAM:Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE on Fubo in Canada

Arsenal vs Chelsea lineups, team news

Mikel Arteta had no fresh injuries to contend with as Jurrien Timber remained out but nearing a return after scoring a worldie in U-21 action. Takehiro Tomiyasu came in at left-back, with Thomas Partey adding a little bit of extra insurance in midfield. In turn. Kai Havertz reverted to centre-forward

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu — Rice, Partey, Odegaard — Saka, Havertz, Trossard.

Arsenal subs (9): Ramsdale, Jesus, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Nketiah, Kiwior, Jorginho, Vieira, Zinchenko.

Mauricio Pochettino was without star man Cole Palmer through illness, meaning a front three of Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk.

There were also changes in defence where Malo Gusto was unavailable. Academy product Alfie Gilchrist makes a first Premier League start in his place at right-back, while Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi return at centre-half.

Chelsea (4-3-3, right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gilchrist, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella — Caicedo, E. Fernandez, Gallagher — Madueke, N. Jackson, Mudryk.

Chelsea subs (9): Bettinelli, Silva, Sterling, Chalobah, Chukwuemeka, Casadei, Deivid, Tauriainen, Dyer.

Arsenal vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA NBC USA Network, Universo Fubo, NBC Sports app/website
Canada —

Fubo Canada
UK TNT Sports 1 discovery+
Australia — Optus Sport
India — JioTV, Hotstar

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USA: This game is available on the NBC USA Network with streaming options on Fubo and the latter is currently offering a FREE trial. Universo is the place to go for Spanish language services.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live-streaming exclusively via Fubo.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on-demand on Optus Sport.

UK: This match will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and streamed on discovery+. Selected Premier League games alongside every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match this season is available on TNT Sports for only £30.99 / month.

India: This game is available to stream on JioTV and Hotstar.

If Arsenal vs. Chelsea is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favourite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)

Author(s)
Dom Farrell Photo
Dom Farrell

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK.