Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea | 33 touches Ødegaard’s goal | Analysis

Arsenal beat Chelsea with 2 goals from Ødegaard that show many of Arteta’s side’s strengths this season. We start by analysing the first one which comes after a possession with 33 touches.

1-0

In the previous play we see Arsenal’s build-up in a 3-2 with Zinchenko as inverted fullback, Trossard loses the ball on the left wing and Zinchenko is perfectly position to intercept Chelsea’s transition.

Arsenal recover the ball starting to circulate from one flank to the other, we see Saka on the right playing with his back to goal unable to progress and the ball goes back to the center backs. 

Gabriel Jesus drops down to receive trying to generate a superiority on the left an Arsenal take advantage to get into the final third with the triangle formed by Zinchenko, Trossard and Xhaka.

Ødegaard sees the large number of Chelsea players defending the box and decides to stay on the edge. Kovacic gets too deep into the box and Xhaka picks out the unmarked Ødegaard, who hits it first time, firing it just out of Kepa’s reach.

2-0

And exactly the same happens in the second goal, Xhaka attacking the space, a combination between the Swiss, Trossard and Zinchenko.

Xhaka in a near identical spot to where he set up the first goal, gets his head up to square a low cross into the middle and Ødegaard helps it into the far side of the net with his first touch.

A comfortable win for Arsenal, who will be hoping for a slip from Man City to get back into the Premier League race.