SMITH-ROWE HITS TEN GOALS FOR ARSENAL

Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe was one of the three players who scored as the Gunners recorded a morale-boosting win at the home of European champions Chelsea in the league. The England international helped the Gunners regain the lead in the first half to take his tally to ten goals in the Premier League this season. With his goal against Chelsea, England international Smith-Rowe was able to take his overall tally to 11 goals in all competitions.

Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal players came into the Chelsea on the back of a poor run of results in the Premier League. They had lost three league games in a row before the trip to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Arteta handed Eddie Nketiah as the lone striker for his second  start in the Premier League this season in the place of regular lone striker Alexandre Lacazette who returned to the Arsenal bench after missing the last league game due to COVID-19. Former England Junior international Nketiah scored the opening goal on 13 minutes as he pounced on a mistake from Danish defender Andreas Christensen. Chelsea were level within four minutes when the shot from German forward Timo Werner took a big deflection off Xhaka into the back of the Arsenal net. Smith-Rowe then scored ten minutes later as he applied the finish to a flowing counterattacking move from the North Londoners to help them regain the lead. Again, the Arsenal lead was a brief one as it took the hosts five minutes to get back on level terms thanks to skipper Cesar Azpilicueta. The goal from Spanish international Azpilicueta ensured that Arsenal and Chelsea went into the break with two goals each.

 

The Gunners would go on to take the game away from Chelsea in the second half thanks to the second goal from Nketiah on 57 minutes and the stoppage time penalty from England international Bukayo Saka. Just like Smith-Rowe, Saka was able to score his 10th league goal of the season with the penalty against Chelsea.