Alexandre Lacazette Brilliant as Arsenal Cruise Past Chelsea

Arsenal boosted hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League by beating London rivals Chelsea 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Goals from Alexandre Lacazette and an imperious Laurent Koscielny gave the Gunners a much-needed win and moved them to within three points of the Blues, leaving them with a chance of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Emery Has Found the Formula to Get Arsenal into the Top 4

Unai Emery and the Gunners needed this win to keep their hopes of finishing in the top four alive. The victory has shown the formula for eventually getting in the UEFAChampions League places and staying there this season.

Emery's blueprint for Champions League qualification hinges on the midfield diamond he deployed against the Blues. While he kept languid playmaker Mesut Ozil frozen out, Emery did deploy four central midfielders: Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Aaron Ramsey.

The shape involved Torreira at the base, with Xhaka and Guendouzi flanking him slightly further forward. Ramsey was ahead of this trio in the pocket of space behind strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lacazette.

It was a structure that afforded Arsenal many opportunities, and chief among them was nullifying Chelsea's hub of possession:

More than just keeping Jorginho quiet, Emery's decision to filed a four-man midfield gave Arsenal a numbers advantage in central areas. It left Chelsea's fluid front three of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian starved of service.

Instead, the Chelsea wide men were forced to drop deep to collect the ball and attempt to conjure some individual brilliance through a packed defence.

Speaking of the Arsenal defence, the back four had more protection with Torreira, Xhakaand Guendouzi forming a three-man screen in front.

Just as important, the Gunners had more energy with extra runners in midfield and the final third. They used the energy to press relentlessly and high up the pitch, rarely affording Chelsea time enough on the ball to exploit any gaps.

The combination of extra cover at the back and greater energy to defend from the front can make Arsenal tougher to beat and ensure enough points for a place in the top four.

Uninspired Midfield Proves Chelsea Must Play Young Talent

While Arsenal's midfield was dynamic and industrious, the contrast couldn't have been sharper in the Chelsea midfield. The Blues were bland, one-paced and lacking guile in the middle of the park.

Chelsea's slow pace moving the ball was summed up by Mateo Kovacic, who consistently misplaced his passes and got caught in possession. Meanwhile, N'Golo Kante continued to look shorn of ideas on the right side.

Their struggles make a mockery of Chelsea's seeming unwillingness to start their young talents at the position more often. Both Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, and 22-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek possess skill, vision and goal threat that Maurizio Sarri's midfield remains desperately short of.

The decision to leave rumoured Bayern Munich target Hudson-Odoi on the bench until the 79th minute irked many observers:

Such frustration is understandable since Chelsea lack the drive and ingenuity in midfield Champions League teams need. Loftus-Cheek, who has six goals to his credit already this season, would add the scoring touch Kovacic and Co. can't muster.

Chelsea have overlooked their own talents for too long. It didn't sting as much during title-winning years, but Sarri's rebuild can't make the mistake of leaving out the youngsters who would transform his pedestrian midfield.

What's Next?

Arsenal are at home to top-six rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday before they welcome Cardiff City to the Emirates for a league game on Tuesday, January 29.

Chelsea host another London rival, Tottenham Hotspur, in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday, before Sheffield Wednesday visit Stamford Bridge for the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, January 27.