Leandro Trossard grabbed his 10th goal of the season with a smart finish from a tight angle following a neat Declan Rice pass to open the scoring.
Ben White doubled Arsenal’s lead on 52 minutes following a corner after Declan Rice’s shot had bounced into his path off Thomas Partey.
The third arrived just five minutes later as Kai Havertz held off Marc Cucurella to score from a neat Martin Odegaard ball in behind.
Havertz then added a fourth in the 65th minute, collecting Bukayo Saka’s pass and making the most of some slack Chelsea defending to drill in off the post.
And then, White wrapped up the scoring with the fifth of the game on 70 minutes, his first-time volleyed cross getting the better of Djorje Petrovic in the Blues net.
You can imagine that no Arsenal player will have been happier with how things went than Havertz, who showed his former club what they’re missing.
The 24-year-old struggled at Chelsea before switching to the Emirates last summer, and though it took a while for him to get his confidence back, he’s now firing on all cylinders.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright loved what he saw from Havertz and praised him after the game.
“They took their opportunities and played very well – and in the second half, they really punished Chelsea.
“Kai Havertz is in the place he can attack, his touch is brilliant and his strength is superb and he took his goals very well.”
Havertz has gone from strength to strength at Arsenal, and those criticising him earlier this season will certainly feel their assessment was a bit premature.
We’re now seeing the Germany international displaying the kind of form that made him so highly sought after while at Bayer Leverkusen, and Chelsea’s loss is Arsenal’s gain.
