Paul Merson was left ‘flabbergasted’ by a comment Mikel Arteta made about Chelsea following Arsenal’s victory on the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 on Sunday in a low-key London derby because of Mikel Merino’s first-half header.
Probabilities were at a premium in north London but Merino’s Twentieth-minute header fired Arsenal to a derby win because the Gunners consolidate their place as runners-up within the Premier League.
Chelsea stay fourth but were unable to increase their one-point lead over top-four rivals Manchester City, who could only draw 2-2 with Brighton earlier within the weekend.
Following the Emirates stalemate, Arteta praised his defence for keeping the ‘best attacking team within the league’ quiet.
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‘For my part, they’re the perfect attacking team within the league. By a mile,’ he said.
‘The stats say it, every thing I’ve seen says it in open play. They’ll open you, they will run in transitions, they’ve individual quality, any player within the line of defense can threaten inside.
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‘They’ll mix on each side, their weaker sides, they’re missing some big players in the intervening time.’
Chelsea were indeed some of the prolific teams in front of goal within the first-half of the season, but that form has deserted them since mid-December.
Enzo Maresca’s side have scored 53 goals in 29 league games, the identical amount as Arsenal but fewer than Manchester City and Liverpool.
‘I don’t know what I’m missing,’ Arsenal legend and Chelsea supporter Merson told Sky Sports.
‘When Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer are playing, they’re a superb team. They carry the perfect out of one another.
‘Palmer’s a greater player when Jackson’s playing and Jackson’s a greater player when Palmer’s playing. That’s fact.
‘But I’m flabbergasted by that quote. I truthfully don’t get that. There will probably be a variety of Chelsea fans reading that pondering, “Wow! What’s he talking about?”
‘Is Arteta saying that because Chelsea have spent £1.6bn yet haven’t got a forward and may’t rating a goal and fans are moaning at him because Arsenal don’t have a forward?
‘Unless Cole Palmer plays, I don’t think Chelsea rating goals. Chelsea are the perfect attacking team?
‘They scored one goal against Leicester to win 1-0. Leicester, of their previous 20 matches, had only failed once to let in two or more goals in a Premier League game.
‘I’m not buying into that one. I’m not buying in.’
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