Chelsea shot themselves in the foot in a number of different ways on Sunday as they suffered a 2-1 loss to Arsenal and Chris Sutton has described one player as an “idiot”.
Two goals from corners got the job done for an Arsenal side that produced a mediocre performance, scoring through William Saliba and Piero Hincapie. Reece James’ corner resulted in an own goal.
But it wasn’t enough, with Chelsea their own worst enemy. It started with Robert Sanchez conceding possession on the edge of his own box, which prompted Liam Rosenior to place his head in his hands.
Rosenior said Chelsea worked on set-pieces all week and yet, they looked as frail as ever from corners. The second was woeful, Sanchez calling for a foul but replays showed him being far too weak.
This is an OUTRAGEOUS take! 😳 🤯
But does this TalkingPoints user have a point?
TalkingPoints user on Cole Palmer
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Then, Pedro Neto earned himself an early bath. A yellow or arguing the decision to allow Arsenal’s second goal and the second, a stupid lunge on Gabriel Martinelli. Chris Sutton was not impressed with Chelsea.
Chris Sutton lambasts Pedro Neto and it sums up Chelsea
Neto’s red card was their seventh in the Premier League this season, by far and away the worst record in the Premier League. 10 in all competitions. It is the story of Chelsea’s season, their own worst enemy.
Whether that be the red cards, their defending from set-pieces, or whether that be upstairs and changing manager at such a pivotal part of the season. John Obi Mikel thinks sacking Enzo Maresca was a mistake.
Arsenal v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606, Chris Sutton hammered winger Neto for his red card and ultimately, his criticism sums up how Chelsea have been the authors of their own downfall for much of the season.
“From Chelsea’s point of view, Pedro Neto let them down badly. What an idiot getting sent off like that. It made it impossible for them to get back into the match,” Sutton said, criticising Chelsea winger Neto.
Rosenior has enjoyed a solid start to life as Chelsea manager, winning eight of his 13 games in a run that also includes three matches against Arsenal, albeit losing all three. Champions League is the priority.
Who will get sent off next? 🔴
Something is telling me Andrey Santos! 🤷♂️
Chelsea players to have been sent off
A top-five finish is a must, and Gary Neville thinks Chelsea can still do it. But failure to do so and pressure will ramp up on Rosenior, with Todd Boehly and the club left out of pocket if there is no top-five finish.
What do Chelsea need to fix if they are going to get top five? They need to eradicate the red cards from their game, the dissent, crowding the referee, and decision making needs to be a whole lot better.
Then, there is defending from set-pieces and conceding from positions of power. Chelsea did well to get back to 1-1 yesterday but like against Leeds and Burnley, they conceded. Plenty of work to do.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox