Chelsea endured a nightmarish outing at the Emirates as Arsenal inflicted a humiliating 5-0 defeat, leaving the Blues struggling to secure European football with just six games remaining in the Premier League season.

The Blues’ defensive frailty was ruthlessly exposed, resulting in Arsenal achieving their largest-ever victory over Chelsea. The game began ominously for Chelsea, with Leandro Trossard breaching Djordje Petrovic’s near post to give Arsenal an early 1-0 lead.

Throughout the first half, Arsenal repeatedly pierced Chelsea’s defense, amassing 13 shots and maintaining relentless pressure. Despite Chelsea’s attempts to regain control, defensive errors and frequent turnovers in dangerous areas plagued their efforts.

At halftime, Arsenal held onto their narrow lead, but emerged for the second half with renewed determination to dominate proceedings. Chelsea’s woes compounded as Ben White capitalized on a corner to extend Arsenal’s lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute.

A calamitous collapse ensued, with Kai Havertz netting a brace in quick succession, propelling Arsenal to a commanding 4-0 advantage. The misery continued for Chelsea as White’s misdirected cross found the back of the net, completing Arsenal’s four-goal onslaught within 18 second-half minutes.

The outcome represents a historic nadir for Chelsea, marking their first-ever five-goal defeat in a London derby and Arsenal’s most emphatic victory over their rivals in 209 meetings. Mauricio Pochettino’s side endured a dismal showing, leaving fans and pundits alike stunned by the magnitude of their defeat.

Player Ratings:

Djordje Petrovic (4/10) – The Serbian goalkeeper opened the floodgate for Arsenal’s goals, allowing a cheap shot to sneak in at his near post. He made some decent saves, but it did little to stop the thrashing.

Alfie Gilchrist (4/10) – The youngster struggled to keep up with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Declan Rice, and Trossard constantly pressuring him, especially with Noni Madueke not helping defensively. Tough night!

Axel Disasi (4/10) – Disasi was nowhere to be found when the defence needed him to take charge. The Frenchman also played White on for the fifth goal of the game.

Benoit Badiashile (3/10) – The former AS Monaco man was a walking calamity against the Gunners. He gave the ball away many times in dangerous areas and looked insipid defending basic situations.

Marc Cucurella (5/10) – He was the best of the bunch today, but that isn’t saying much, considering how bad the rest of the defensive cast looked. The Spaniard did a serviceable job nullifying Bukayo Saka.

Enzo Fernandez (5/10) – The out-of-form midfielder continued his recent trend of below-par performances. He struggled defensively, and his teammates couldn’t find him on the ball. Maybe he does need that time on the bench.

Moises Caicedo (6/10) – Pochettino’s setup allowed too much space for Caicedo to defend, but he managed to put in a decent shift in the centre.

Conor Gallagher (6/10) – The Cobham academy graduate put himself about and made crunching tackles. He also did well to help Chelsea advance the ball, but it was far too erratic to affect the match.

Nicolas Jackson (5/10) – His holdup play was decent, but as has become customary, he struggled to find his shooting boots, missing an excellent chance to pull one back.

Noni Madueke (6/10) – The England youth international huffed and puffed but struggled to find teammates on the same wavelength as him. He tried to have a go at Tomiyasu but could not find the needed end product.

Mykhailo Mudryk (4/10) – Never got going offensively, and was a massive liability defensively. It was already shocking that he came out for the second half, but what a horrific showing!

Substitutes

Thiago Silva (6.5/10)

Raheem Sterling (6/10)

Trevoh Chalobah (6/10)

Cesare Casadei (6/10)

Overall, Chelsea’s collective performance fell far short of expectations, with defensive lapses and an inability to contain Arsenal’s attack contributing to their resounding defeat.