Out-of-form Arsenal stun Chelsea with 3-1 win

December 26, 2020 Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi in action with Arsenal's Joe Willock. [ REUTERS]

Arsenal beat London rivals Chelsea 3-1 for their first league win in nearly two months as goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka lifted the pressure on coach Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal, missing several first-choice players, took the lead in the 35th minute when Lacazette sent Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy the wrong way from the spot after Kieran Tierney was adjudged to have been clipped in the box by Reece James.

Nine minutes later, Xhaka lifted an unstoppable freekick over the wall and beyond Mendy's dive.

A visibly frustrated Chelsea coach Frank Lampard tried to turn the tide at halftime when he replaced out-of-form Germany striker Timo Werner with winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mateo Kovacic with Jorginho.

But Chelsea were only marginally more threatening for most of the second half and Arsenal sealed the win in the 56th minute when Saka floated what looked like a cross over Mendy and the ball hit the far post and went in.

Chelsea scored a consolation goal with five minutes to go when Tammy Abraham converted a cross by Hudson-Odoi.

Arsenal had failed to win any of their previous seven league games - losing five of them - and the win lifted them to 14th place in the table. Chelsea are sixth after their third consecutive away defeat.