Soccer
Four-goal Arsenal grab huge win at Chelsea
It was a Premier League match that felt more like a prize fight at times, as Arsenal traded blows with Chelsea en route to a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
The Gunners took the lead three times before finally holding on for a much-needed win against their fellow London counterparts, with an event-filled first half setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Four of the game's six goals were scored in the opening 45 minutes, with Arsenal striking first via Eddie Nketiah in the 13th minute only to see Timo Werner pull the hosts level just four minutes later. The pattern would repeat itself shortly thereafter, with Emile Smith Rowe finding the back of the net on a counterattack in the 27th minute before César Azpilicueta responded five minutes later with a tap-in.
The goal-filled first half gave way to a cagier closing 45 minutes, with Nketiah's second of the night coming just before the hour mark to put Arsenal up for good. From that point on it was mostly Chelsea on the front foot, with the Blues searching for an equalizer while the visitors soaked up the pressure.
Unfortunately for the hosts, Arsenal would add to the lead with a Bukayo Saka penalty kick in stoppage time and put the match out of reach.
The result puts Arsenal on equal footing with North London rivals Tottenham, with both teams sporting identical 18-3-11 records. Spurs own the tiebreaker for the coveted fourth place spot on the table, however, and thus Arsenal will have six more matches to try to secure Champions League qualification.
