Arsenal host Chelsea in a midweek London derby in the Premier League tonight. The Gunners have the chance to move four points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League table, but the Blues and Mauricio Pochettino will be out to deny the hosts and land a blow in the title race.
Chelsea have won the Premier League five times since Arsenal last won the title 20 years ago, but Mikel Arteta’s side are set to finish above the Blues for the second consecutive year and can add further disappointment to their difficult season with a victory tonight. Chelsea were beaten in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, despite being the better side against Manchester City, as missed chances cost Pochettino’s side once again.
The visitors could be without star forward and the Premier League’s top scorer Cole Palmer tonight, while Arsenal will be looking to build on Saturday’s win at Wolves. Arteta’s side were facing the prospect of another late-season slump after back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, and tonight is a must-win for the Gunners as they look to put pressure on champions Manchester City.
Follow live updates from Arsenal vs Chelsea in tonight’s live blog below and get the latest match odds and tips, here
Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates
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Arteta on Chelsea’s improvements
Mikel Arteta spoke about Arsenal’s opponents tonight and explained how he feels the Blues have developed over the course of the season.
The Arsenal manager said: “They have made huge improvements. I think they deserve to be in a much higher position in the league, when you look at what they’ve done and what they’ve produced in games – they’ve reached a final, they’ve reached a semi-final, they could have been through.
“I think what Mauricio is doing is really impressive, so I’m sure that he’s going to get them there.
“I think the journey of [us and Chelsea] are very, very different. Nothing to compare in my opinion. It’s a huge admiration for Mauricio because I’ve known him since 23 years ago and I really wish him all the best.
“He’s an incredible manager, he’s a huge leader and he will inspire the club to get what they want to get, that’s for sure.”
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:56
Can Chelsea earn European football?
As for Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino’s team can still end the season in the European places despite a topsy-turvy year which has seen them play far below their expected levels.
They are within reach of sixth-placed Newcastle United and could draw level on points with the Magpies if they win at the Emirates tonight. Not only that but victory would massively dent the hopes of their London rivals who are trying to win the league.
A win for Pochettino’s side would show that the manager is beginning to imprint his style onto the young squad and it would leave Chelsea in a strong position looking towards next season.
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:50
Arsenal maintain hopes of winning Premier Legaue title
With the season drawing ever closer to the finishing line, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are all fighting to win the Premier League title and the Gunners have the chance to go three points clear at the top of the table on Tuesday night.
A win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium would take them up to 77 points ahead of Liverpool’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday and Manchester City’s trip to Brighton on Thursday.
With a north London derby against Tottenham on the horizon, Mikel Arteta will know that his team cannot afford any slip ups this evening if they hope to maintain their title challenge.
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:44
Everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s match
It was Chelsea’s second Wembley defeat this season, after losing in the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool, and ensures Mauricio Pochettino will finish his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge without silverware.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Premier League match:
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:38
Chelsea release statement over Jackson racial abuse
Chelsea have threatened to bring criminal charges against anyone found to have racially abused Nicolas Jackson in the aftermath of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City.
In a statement they said: “Chelsea Football Club is disgusted by the racial abuse directed towards Nicolas Jackson via social media, following Saturday evening’s game.
“There is no place in society for any form of discrimination and we operate a zero-tolerance approach to any incident of this nature.
“The club will support any criminal prosecutions and take the strongest possible action, including bans, against any individual who is found to be a season ticket holder or member.”
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:30
Chelsea to take strongest possible action after Nicolas Jackson racially abused
Chelsea have threatened to bring criminal charges against anyone found to have racially abused Nicolas Jackson in the aftermath of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City.
The 22-year-old striker missed a number of chances at Wembley as his side bowed out of the cup with a 1-0 defeat and was subsequently the target of abuse on social media.
The racist comments were left on an Instagram post he had made following last week’s victory over Everton, in which he scored his 10th goal of the season.
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:22
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Cole Palmer has scored 20 league goals this season, with 10 coming in his last five appearances.
Only three Chelsea players have ever scored more in a single Premier League campaign – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:15
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Since the start of last season, Bukayo Saka has been involved in more London derby goals in the Premier League than any other player (17 – 8 goals, 9 assists).
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:07
Martin Odegaard says Wolves victory is ‘massive’ for Arsenal
Arsenal captain and midfielder, Martin Odegaard, says that the 2-0 victory over Wolves was ‘massive’ for the club after a tough week which saw them slip up in the Premier League and lose to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Writing in the matchday programme ahead of this evening’s clash with Chelsea, Odegaard said: “The result at Wolves on Saturday was massive for us – we had to respond after the previous two matches.
“It was really tough for us after the Aston Villa and Bayern games. The defeat in the league, then going to Germany and going out of the Champions League was tough. We were all really down and really disappointed after that, and it took a lot of energy from everyone, and a lot of commitment, to get ourselves back up. “We were all down after returning from Germany, but we knew that going into the Wolves game on Sunday we would go back on top with a win, so that was a massive motivation for us.
“We wanted to strike back, to make a statement that we are still here – that drove us on. We did brilliantly to do that because Wolves is a difficult place to get a result.
“To go away again, more travelling, and a quick turnaround – it was a tough challenge but we can be very proud of how we did it and the result we got on Saturday.”
Mike Jones23 April 2024 18:00
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Arsenal lost their first evening kick-off against Chelsea in the Premier League way back in March 1993. Since then they are unbeaten in 11 such games against the Blues with four wins and seven draws.
The Gunners have won the last three in a row.
Mike Jones23 April 2024 17:52