Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea: Xhaka scores as the Gunners lose 2-1

Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea: Granit Xhaka scores as Mikel Arteta’s Gunners lose 2-1 in Mind Series match on Sunday. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal faced the blues of Chelsea in the opening fixture of the inaugural Mind series, as fans finally returned to the Emirates stadium. Though these matches are technically “friendlies,” Sunday’s encounter was anything but, with a number of rash and chippy challenges interrupting proceedings.

Arsenal dominated the early minutes, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey both making their marks on the game, but as the Gabonese faded and the Ghanaian went off injured yet again, Chelsea clawed their way back into the game.

The Blues opened their 2021 account with a brilliant Kai Havertz finish, caused by a lapse in concentration from multiple Arsenal defenders that left the German one-on-one with Bernd Leno, who made himself big but couldn’t do much else to stop it.

Granit Xhaka got one back with a lovely header off a corner, having placed one over the bar minutes previously, but it was soon cancelled out as Hector Bellerin gift-wrapped a goal for Tammy Abraham.