Tammy Abraham Scores Winner in Chelsea's Comeback vs. Arsenal
December 29, 2019
Chelsea returned to winning ways on Sunday, beating London rivals Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League. Tammy Abraham completed the comeback by netting a late winner.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring after 13 minutes after the Gunners made a fast start. Chelsea improved after the break, however, and scored twice in the final minutes, with Jorginho and Abraham finding the target.
The Blues came into the match having lost three of their past four in the Premier League. New Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has yet to win a match in charge of the Gunners.
Arsenal came out firing, creating two early chances for centre-back David Luiz, who missed the target with both.
The Gunners feasted on Chelsea's high press, finding acres of space to work with and putting a lot of pressure on the Blues. It led to an early booking for Matteo Guendouzi and a lead after just 13 minutes.
Mesut Ozil's corner was flicked on by Calum Chambers, and Aubameyang reacted fastest, scoring from close range. As Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe highlighted, it was the latest example of Chelsea's set-piece struggles:
The Gunners wanted a penalty minutes later after contact between Kurt Zouma and Alexandre Lacazette, but the official and VAR let play go on.
Arsenal were forced into a substitution midway through the half, losing Chambers to an apparent ankle injury. Shkodran Mustafi was his replacement. Chelsea also made an early change, but not because of injury:
Zouma had a chance to equalise after a corner was worked into his path, but he lost his footing just as he was about to pull the trigger, and the chance went begging. Aubameyang found the side-netting from a tight angle, and Fikayo Tomori hit the last chance of the half right at Bernd Leno.
N'Golo Kante found some space after a poor clearance early in the second half, but he had little time to get his shot away and fired wide. Aubameyang nearly got away from the defence soon after, with a perfect Zouma tackle denying him a one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Blues needed a spark, and manager Frank Lampard took a big risk on the hour mark, introducing teenager Tariq Lamptey:
The 19-year-old made the right impact, nearly picking out Abraham with a good pass that almost beat Luiz. Willian had better luck, but Cesar Azpilicueta couldn't find the target with his header.
Chelsea increased the pressure as the half wore on and came close to tying things through Abraham after 75 minutes. The striker found the space he needed to get his header off but aimed his effort directly at Leno.
The Gunners did a fine job of shutting down the Chelsea attack, but a single error turned the match on its head. Leno missed a Mason Mount free-kick, and the ball fell to Jorginho, who easily tapped home into the empty net.
Momentum shifted to the Blues, who completed the comeback with a sharp counter-attack just minutes later. Sports writer Mina Rzouki felt for the hosts:
It was Chelsea's turn to kill the clock, and they only gave away a single chance, with Lucas Torreira blasting a first-time volley wide of the goal.
What's Next?
Both teams will be in action on New Year's Day, with Arsenal hosting Manchester United and Chelsea visiting Brighton & Hove Albion.