3/10 Arsenal star must be dropped

Last week, Arsenal pulled off the handbrake and pulled away from their rivals, Spurs. They won 4-1. The football on display was some of the best we’ve seen from Mikel Arteta’s men all season.

However, it was only Tottenham, Tottenham in danger of being relegated. Sorry, but we had to put it in there. Seven days later and their win over Chelsea was superb. Given the way the second leg played in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup between these two teams, that did not surprise me.

On this occasion, Liam Rosenior’s men certainly put in an attacking game plan but in the end it was a battle of set pieces. That has been the story of this Premier League season.

The Gunners were not at their best on Sunday but won the corner battle, scoring two set-pieces with headers from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.

Those two goals were joined by a Chelsea goal in regulation, headed into the back of his own net by Piero Hincapie. The score read 2-1 at the full-time whistle and it was as close as that score suggests.

How Arsenal beat Chelsea on Sunday

If Arteta’s men win the league title in May, it’s safe to say they will have done so the hard way. That game against Spurs aside, Arsenal have struggled in recent weeks with their 2-2 draw against Wolves a milestone in their quest for Premier League glory.

But, worse, they have bounced back from that result, now beating Spurs and Chelsea in back-to-back weeks. It wasn’t a classic display but it started working on Sunday.

In truth, there weren’t many in red and white flattering, but as they often do, they had their backs to thank for coming away with three points, albeit not in the usual way.

Although Areta’s side have been one of the best defensive sides in Europe since he took over as manager, it was in the final third where he shone this weekend.

This was a battle of the set-pieces and it was Arsenal, the kings of the set-play, who reigned supreme. They opened the field with Saliba netting for the first time this season.

Bukayo Saka’s ball was thrown towards the goal where Gabriel Magalhaes headed Reece James to the side and found his teammate at center back who beat the keeper with a deflection.

While Hincapie got into the back of his own net just before the break, the hosts were better in the second 45 minutes and courtesy of a Declan Rice corner, Timber couldn’t miss a header from the yard to win the game.

The Dutch defender has not been at his best of late, with Arteta subbing the defender last week against Spurs, but he was back to his best against Chelsea.

The North Londoners didn’t end well with the win but they have a red card to be thankful for. Pedro Neto tripped Gabriel Martinelli over the top and received a second yellow card.

Martinelli’s arrival, although he didn’t score or assist, was a highlight and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him start in midweek against Brighton.

Worst player for Arsenal vs Chelsea

There weren’t many players wearing red or white who could have come out of this win liking their individual performances more. That would work for Leandro Trossard.

For the Belgians, this has been an interesting campaign. Last summer, he was attracting interest elsewhere but Arsenal’s management decided to raise his wages, a move that shows his importance to Arteta’s project.

He quickly paid for that, scoring eight times and registering six assists in his first 22 games of the campaign. He looked like one of the best defenders in the league.

However, 2026 has been really tricky for the 31-year-old who is arguably now showing his age. His performances are getting worse by the week and it is very clear that Arsenal need to prioritize signing a new left winger in the summer.

This calendar year, Trossard has been goalless in 14 outings, providing a solitary assist against Sunderland in early February.

Although the Belgian’s form has been on the decline for a while, he salvaged what was arguably his worst performance of the campaign against Chelsea on Sunday.

Arteta is not afraid to sign up early when things go wrong. Just ask Eberechi Eze. However, on this occasion, it was Trossard who received that treatment, taken after just 56 minutes.

When he was on the field, Trossard was completely ineffective, leaving the field with 33 touches to his name, two fewer than goalkeeper David Raya.

What was more shocking was that the goal scorer registered one shot and one key pass alone. He also lost 60 percent of his different games. This was simply not enough for a player who usually wants a lot for not only himself but also his teammates.

When he left before an hour, Trossard did so knowing that Reece James was locked up. The Chelsea defender, who provided the goal for the Blues, put in a perfect performance which saw him win all five of his duels. That’s a testament to how poor Arsenal’s left winger has been.

So, as they travel to Brighton in a few days, Trossard should be out of the starting line-up to face his former employers. Time to see what Eze or Martinelli can do on the left.

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