Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
by Layth Yousif

BELEAGUERED Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted the club are in a “difficult and unprecedented situation” after losing 2-0 to Chelsea on Sunday.  

First-half goals by £100-million striker Romelu Lukaku and Reece James saw Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League winners claim a deserved victory at Ashburton Grove, as the Gunners slumped to their second defeat in a week.

Following their miserable 2-0 loss at the hands of newly promoted Brentford, the north Londoners have lost their first two league games without scoring for the first time in their history.

Arteta said afterwards: “I don’t think the club in their history have faced something like this.

“We have to face the challenge. The league or table is not decided in August. The worst thing you can do is throw in the towel. We certainly are not going to do that.

Arteta added: “You have to understand the situation we have. We are missing nine players, and it is difficult. It is not just nine players — they are some big, big players.”

After 767,495 minutes, 12,791 hours, 533 days and 31 games, Ashburton Grove was once again operating at full capacity as loyal supporters returned after the pandemic.

However, they were not happy with what they saw, with a number making their feelings clear by booing at half time and at the end of the match.

The result means that Arsenal are in the relegation zone after the opening two matches for the first time since August 1992.

In mitigation, the Gunners’ starting XI was missing captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who was still feeling his way back after Covid to make a welcome but ineffective second-half appearance.

With £50m defender Ben White missing with Covid after four players missed the season opener against the Bees with the illness including Alexandre Lacazette, Willian and back-up keeper Alex Runarsson.

To make matters worse, influential midfielder Thomas Partey and highly rated centre-back Gabriel were also absent along with striker Eddie Nketiah.

A glimmer of hope was provided by new signing Sambi Lokonga, who worked tirelessly in a midfield that was mostly overrun by Chelsea’s slick passing and off the ball movement. The £10m 21-year-old who arrived from Anderlecht over the summer fired a first-half shot over the bar, while Bukayo Saka had a powerful drive tipped over by Blues keeper Edouard Mendy as the rain fell in biblical proportions in north London.

“There are a lot of positives,” Arteta said. “Five players who are 19 or 20 years old playing at this level for the first time — that will have a positive impact but at the moment it is difficult.

“I don’t like to feel sorry for myself. I think everyone can see at the moment we don’t have the squad that we want and it seems to be more difficult by the day.

“The crowd were right behind the team from the beginning,” he said. “When you are losing you cannot expect them to be happy. They have given all the support they could. When we don’t win, they have to show that and that is natural.”

Yet, with Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli limping off a trip to rampant Premier League champions Manchester City, next weekend Arteta’s and Arsenal’s season could become far worse.

And that’s without their trip to a buoyant West Brom in midweek as the Gunners play their first League Cup second round game in 25 years.