Teams

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium as the abject visitors slumped to a sixth consecutive loss under Frank Lampard.

The Gunners came into the game looking to put their 4-1 thrashing by title rivals Manchester City behind them and they did so in emphatic style in a completely one-sided first half.

Martin Odegaard scored the first two goals, twice capitalising on dismal Chelsea defending to dispatch Granit Xhaka crosses, with Gabriel Jesus then adding the third from close range.

Mikel Arteta's side should have been totally out of sight by the time Noni Madueke pulled a goal back for Chelsea midway through the second half, but it proved to be only a consolation for the 12th-placed visitors, whose season continues to plumb new depths.

The victory takes Arsenal two points above Pep Guardiola's side, albeit having played two games more, lifting the mood around the club following a four-game winless run and ensuring the title race remains alive despite events at the Etihad Stadium last week.

Player ratings

Arsenal: Ramsdale (7); White (7), Kiwior (7), Gabriel (7), Zinchenko (7); Odegaard (9), Jorginho (7), Xhaka (8); Saka (8), Jesus (8), Trossard (7).

Subs: Martinelli (6), Tierney (6), Nelson (6), Holding (n/a), Partey (n/a).

Chelsea: Kepa (7); Azpilicueta (5), Fofana (5), Silva (5), Chilwell (6); Kante (5), Fernandez (5), Kovacic (6), Madueke (7), Aubameyang (5), Sterling (5).

Subs: Havertz (5), Mudryk (7), Gallagher (6), Ziyech (6), Chalobah (n/a).

Player of the match: Martin Odegaard

How Arsenal bounced back

Arsenal's determination to draw a line under the recent dip in form was clear from the outset, the rejuvenated hosts pinning Chelsea back in their own half and piling on near relentless pressure.

Lampard's side were indebted to Kepa Arrizabalaga for not falling behind sooner, the goalkeeper saving bravely at the feet of Xhaka in the fifth minute after right-back Cesar Azpilicueta had sold him short with a poor backward header.

Azpilicueta's problems were only just beginning, though, with Arsenal soon running riot on that side as Xhaka twice picked out the unmarked Odegaard, who finished with aplomb on each occasion, his first-time efforts leaving Kepa with little chance.

Aaron Ramsdale made a full-stretch save from Ben Chilwell in between Odegaard's strikes but it was Chelsea's first and only chance of a woeful first-half showing and, up at the other end, the punishment soon continued.

Arsenal's third goal came from more dire defending as the Blues twice failed to clear their lines following Ben White's right-wing cross, allowing Jesus to fire home his 10th Premier League goal of the season from close range.

The home fans were revelling in the occasion at that point, loudly cheering the announcement that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, their former striker, would be replaced by Kai Havertz at the interval following an anonymous first-half performance.

Then, when the action got back under way, Arsenal picked up where they left off in the first half, forcing a succession of chances, with Thiago Silva clearing a Gabriel Magalhaes header off the line and Kepa denying Xhaka, Saka and Odegaard.

It appeared more Arsenal goals were inevitable but Madueke's goal, scored after Arsenal switched off defensively, gave the visitors something to cling on to and set up a nervy finale, with the home fans wary of another lead being surrendered.

Mykhailo Mudryk provided a few scares with his pace following his introduction, but Arsenal held on, securing a much-needed victory and showing that, while their London rivals languish in 12th, they may yet push Manchester City right to the end.

Odegaard: We used anger to bounce back

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard speaking to Sky Sports:

"Especially the first half was brilliant. We showed a different spirit to last time. The second half was a bit messy but we needed this one.

"Everyone was so hurt after the City game but we used that anger to bounce back. You can lose games but we weren't ourselves. I think we showed a different side today.

"We didn't keep the ball enough in the second half and they went a bit more direct.

"It was a bit chaotic but it's a win. We have to keep going. We will fight until the end for the title."

Lampard's woes continue - Opta stats

Frank Lampard has now lost each of his last 10 matches as a manager - he is the first English manager to lose 10 in a row while in charge of a top-flight team since Arthur Cox in February 1988 with Derby.

Chelsea have lost four consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since March 1998, while only once have they had a longer losing run in the competition than their current one (six games in November 1993).

Arsenal have done the Premier League double over Chelsea for a second time in the last three campaigns (2020-21 and 2022-23), which is as many times as they managed it across all seasons between 1998-99 and 2019-20 (twice).

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

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus has now scored in 55 Premier League matches and never ended on the losing side when doing so (W50 D5) - this is the most times a player has scored in a game in the competition without ever losing, overtaking James Milner who did so on 54 occasions.

What's next?

Arsenal's next game is away at Champions League-chasing Newcastle, live on Sky Sports this Super Sunday, kick-off 2pm.

The Gunners' two games after that - at home to Brighton on May 14 and away to Nottingham Forest on May 20 - are also live on Sky Sports. Mikel Arteta's side host Wolves on the final day of the season on May 28.

Chelsea's attention turns to a trip to Bournemouth this Saturday, kick-off 3pm. Frank Lampard's Blues then host Nottingham Forest seven days later with kick-off at the same time.

The west Londoners then face a double trip to Manchester to face City and United - both games live on Sky Sports on May 21 and May 25 respectively - before hosting Newcastle on the final day of the season.

Teams

Arsenal Ramsdale, White, Kiwior, Gabriel (Holding 85), Zinchenko (Tierney 73), Odegaard (c), Jorginho (Partey 86), Xhaka, Saka (Nelson 74), Jesus, Trossard (Martinelli 59)
Subs Not Used Turner, Tierney, Partey, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Holding, Vieira, Nelson
Booked
Goals Odegaard 18, 31, Jesus 34

Chelsea Kepa, Azpilicueta (c), W. Fofana (Chalobah 86), Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Fernandez (Gallagher 71), Kovacic, Madueke (Ziyech 79), Aubameyang (Havertz 46), Sterling (Mudryk 71)
Subs Not Used Mendy, Badiashile, Felix, Loftus-Cheek
Booked Kovacic, Gallagher
Goals Madueke 65

Attendance 60,144

Referee Robert Jones

VAR Andre Marriner