Lacroix: ‘I think it’s not easy to play there’
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Maxence Lacroix of Chelsea acknowledges the fans after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on September 06, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Maxence Lacroix looked back on a 2-1 defeat for Chelsea against Arsenal.
The French defender was signed from Crystal Palace to bring stability to the defence, but it will take more than transfers to bring true solidity to the backline. So far, the Blues have shipped seven goals in three Premier League fixtures, two against the Gunners and Fulham and three against Brighton.
How the Emirates defeat unfolded
Morgan Rogers gave the guests the first goal of the game with a volley from a set-piece in the early stages of the first half, but Chelsea clearly struggled to compete for the 90 minutes.
Kai Havertz levelled as Arsenal attacked through their right sided rotations to put Jorrel Hato under pressure, and Lacroix was left on an island when Havertz’s dummy let Martin Odegaard put the hosts ahead.
·‘The defeat hurts a little bit’
Estevao forced David Raya into a strong second half save, but Chelsea could not continually hem in the hosts before the final whistle. It is still early days for Xabi Alonso, so it is unfair to be too harsh towards the Blues, who are trying to take the positives from their performances where they can.
“We are a little bit unhappy, of course, after losing, but I believe that we did well to be honest. We just have to adjust some points. I think it’s not easy to play there but we did good.
“We accept the loss but we want to learn from it. I think it’s good to learn about the mistakes and all the wrong parts. We have to go forward and go again.
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal runs with the ball under pressure from Maxence Lacroix of Chelsea during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on September 06, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal runs with the ball under pressure from Maxence Lacroix of Chelsea during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on September 06, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Lacroix: ‘We deserved more’
“I think it was a good start but once they scored it got more and more difficult. But we showed that we also had good actions and good attacks, so the defeat hurts a little bit. We gave our best. We deserved more. Luck was not by our side, but we have to accept it. The desire to score, the attitude was clear. We showed good character until the very end. We deserved the 2-2, but we learned for next time.”