Arsenal hosted Chelsea in a Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Gunners, buoyed by their return to winning ways at the weekend, were eager to cement their hold at the top of the table.
Arsenal ended up getting off to the perfect start against a Blues outfit missing key player Cole Palmer due to illness.
After just six minutes, the Gunners opened the scoring through Leandro Trossard, who fired in at the near post after being fed by Declan Rice.
TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist liked what he saw from both Trossard and Rice, saying he loved the “aggression” he saw from the midfielder.
“What a start,” McCoist said on TNT Sports, as transcribed by BBC Sport.
“It’s all about the aggression from Declan Rice with his piercing run. The weight of the pass and the finish is fantastic.
“For me, watch the positivity from Rice. He forced Gilchrist to turn his body inside and he releases the pass at the right time. Great goal all round.”
How did Arsenal fare against Chelsea?
Arsenal never looked back and ended up running riot against Chelsea in the second half, with Rice playing a key role in the comprehensive win.
As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old won six ground duels and one aerial duel, and weighed in with one key pass, five tackles, two interceptions and two clearances.
Arsenal’s second came through good work from Rice, whose shot was blocked right into the path of Ben White, who duly tapped in on 52 minutes.
McCoist mentioned Rice in the aftermath of the goal, saying: “I can’t believe how slow Chelsea are to attack the ball. It’s a pretty straightforward delivery.
“The ball breaks to Rice and they have got to get to him quicker. They get what they deserve. Really composed finish from White.”
Kai Havertz then scored a quickfire brace in the 57th and 65th minutes before White got his second – and Arsenal’s fifth – in the 70th minute of the match.
All in all, a wonderful and rampant display for the Gunners against their London rivals, and they’ll certainly fancy their chances of going all the way in the title race.
