Arsenal 4-0 Chelsea: Gunners continue strong pre-season with statement win

Arsenal have made it five consecutive wins in an increasingly impressive pre-season and enjoyed their best result yet by thrashing Premier League rivals Chelsea 4-0 in Orlando, Florida.

The Gunners have now bagged 19 goals in pre-season, with £45m summer signing Gabriel Jesus needing only 15 minutes to get on the scoresheet again.

Martin Odegaard doubled Arsenal’s lead in the first half, before Bukayo Saka went on to make it 3-0 after half-time and Albert Sambi Lokonga rounded things off with a fourth in stoppage time.

Jesus was coolness personified when he had the presence of the mind to dink the ball over Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into the far corner to give his team the lead.

Mendy was then at fault when Odegaard netted, passing the ball aimlessly into midfield for Arsenal to recollect possession. A few quick passes later, the Norwegian was firing low into the corner.

Chelsea really were off the pace and Saka’s third Arsenal goal was the result of players in red reacting to the ball much quicker. Mendy made two top quality saves in the build up, but his defenders weren’t sharp enough to clear and Saka fired in a rebound.

When Sambi Lokonga scored the fourth, those in blue were looking at each other in disbelief. The Arsenal midfielder ghosted into the penalty area unmarked at the far post and easily directed a deep cross from Cedric Soares back across the goal into the corner.

There was a first Chelsea appearance off the bench in difficult circumstances for Kalidou Koulibaly, while Oleksandr Zinchenko started the match for Arsenal.

Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus

Subs used: Turner, Soares, Tavares, Elneny, Sambi Lokonga, Marquinhos, Maitland-Niles, Pepe, Nketiah

Chelsea: Mendy, James, Chalobah, Silva, Emerson, Gallagher, Jorginho, Havertz, Mount, Sterling, Werner

Subs used: Alonso, Kovacic, Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Koulibaly, Azpilicueta, Batshuayi, Sarr, Ampadu

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