Arsenal finally lifted the gloom surrounding the club and beat Chelsea 3-1 on Saturday, with a strong performance from younger players, as the Gunners won their first Premier League match in nearly two months.
A calmly taken penalty from Alexandre Lacazette, a sensational free kick from Granit Xhaka and a bizarre goal from Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal all three points at Emirates Stadium.
But it was a nervy finish for the hosts as Chelsea got a consolation goal from Tammy Abraham in the 85th minute after initially being flagged for offside. The visitors were then awarded a penalty a few minutes later, but Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno saved Jorginho’s shot in injury time.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he could feel the energy on the team bus before the match.
“I said to them we have to take this opportunity now,” he said. “It’s a really important win for us.
“We needed the points for sure and we did it against one of the best teams in the league in a convincing…