On Sunday, Chelsea lost to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge for the third time in a row.
Gabriel Magalhaes’ goal off of a Bukayo Saka corner was enough to give the away team a 1-0 victory in the Premier League, continuing the Blues’ dismal record against the Gunners.
Arsenal’s victory allowed them to reclaim first place in the standings, dropping Chelsea to seventh place and leaving them winless in their last four games.
The focus of the news leading up to the game was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s reunion with his old team.
Following the game, there were many new talking points, with Saka’s behaviour on the field and Chelsea’s defending of the winning goal being two of the most important.
Graham Potter acknowledged after the game that Arsenal was the superior team and merited their victory, but one would think the character of the winning goal irritated him.
Saka’s corner was allowed to travel all the way through the Chelsea box before Gabriel finished it off at the back post, right on the goal line.
After the game, Granit Xhaka’s touch-tight marking by Marc Cucurella garnered a lot of attention on social media, but Martin Keown, a former Arsenal defender, had a different target on his back.
“Kai Havertz has got to do better there,” Keown said on BT Sport. “He swings a lazy leg at that.” Havertz was the man at the front post who missed the initial clearance, allowing chaos to flourish behind him.
Following a flashpoint involving Cucurella and Saka, Potter and Arteta displayed some tension on the touchline during the London derby.
The Chelsea defender challenged Saka, who then collapsed and yelled for a free kick. He failed to grasp it and ultimately found himself in trouble after kicking Cucurella during a subsequent challenge.
The two dugouts were in a heated argument during the incident, but Potter was tactful enough to refrain from referring to Saka as a diver.
“I think there was one action that was a little bit contentious shall we say but I don’t think he is that type of player,” he said.
