Our 3️⃣ points as Arsenal run riot on sorry Chelsea in London derby | OneFootball

Arsenal produced a five-star display to swat aside London rivals Chelsea.

Here’s what we made of the spectacle at the Emirates Stadium.

Gunners throw down the gauntlet

Arsenal’s biggest win over Chelsea was about more than just bragging rights – it was a statement of intent.

Mikel Arteta knows that his side’s lead in the Premier League title race is precarious, with Manchester City able to unseat them by winning their two games in hand.

But they are using their time at the top productively, racking up the goals in the rare hope that that the defending champions somehow slip up on the run-in.

They hold a 12-goal difference on City while second-placed Liverpool sit one further behind them with both clubs back in action later this midweek.

Whether it is enough by close of play on 19 May only time will tell but the Gunners are certainly throwing down the gauntlet.

No Palmer, plenty of problems

Mauricio Pochettino is well versed on the problems with managing a perceived ‘one-man team’.

The accusation was regularly levelled during his time at Tottenham Hotspur due to Harry Kane’s continued exploits.

Leading Chelsea back into his former north London domicile, Pochettino struggled to shake those accusations in Cole Palmer’s absence.

The England international missed the trip across the capital due to illness and those tasked to fill the void in his absence were again lacking.

Nicolas Jackson’s continued shortcomings alone will have left his manager yearning for Palmer to make a speedy recovery to avoid further embarrassments.

Ødegaard sublime on the strings

‘Captain, leader, legend’ may be synonymous with Stamford Bridge but Martin Ødegaard is making a similar case at the Emirates Stadium.

In a season where there has been no shortage of sublime displays from Arsenal’s skipper, he produced arguably one of his best against the Blues.

Ødegaard delivered two assists and much like his free-scoring teammates, could have produced even more on a night when everything ran through him.

The Norway international’s pass for Kai Havertz to begin haunting his former employers was simply sublime and a follow-up for Ben White not far off, either.

Pulling the strings has been Ødegaard’s forte in this campaign but this might be up there with one of his finest displays in the red and white shirt.