At 14:30 Lithuania time, the 24th round of the English "Premier" league started.
Two London teams, "Chelsea" and "Arsenal," met at "Stamford Bridge" stadium. Antonio Conte's team easily defeated "Arsenal" with a score of 3-1, taking a strong step towards the championship title.
Despite Arsene Wenger's absence, the aggressive "Arsenal" team started the game strong, putting pressure on the "Chelsea" defenders. However, the "Blues" did not face major difficulties later on.
The first goal of the match came in the 13th minute when Marcos Alonso scored after a shot from Diego Costa. Alonso won the battle for the ball against Hector Bellerin and headed it into the net, giving the hosts the lead. "Arsenal" lost Bellerin to injury after the collision.
Throughout the rest of the game, "Chelsea" created several dangerous opportunities, but "Arsenal" failed to score more goals. Mesut Ozil had a chance to equalize just before halftime, but his weak shot with his left foot did not trouble Thibaut Courtois.
In the second half, "Chelsea" continued to be aggressive, and in the 53rd minute, Eden Hazard showed his class with a precise shot that beat the "Arsenal" defense. The score became 2-0.
In the 77th minute, Courtois made a great save from Alex Iwobi's header. However, in the 85th minute, the final blow was delivered by former "Arsenal" player Cesc Fabregas, who took advantage of Petr Cech's mistake and scored from about 25 meters into an empty net.
In the 90th minute, Olivier Giroud scored a consolation goal for "Arsenal," but they ran out of time and had to accept a 1-3 defeat.
After the loss, "Arsenal" practically dashed their chances of competing for the championship title this season. Unstoppable Conte's team is leading the table with a temporary 12-point advantage over their closest pursuers.
Result: "Chelsea" 3 - 1 "Arsenal"
13' [1 - 0] M. Alonso
53' [2 - 0] E. Hazard
85' [3 - 0] C. Fabregas
90+1' [3 - 1] O. Giroud
League Table:
