Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka were standout performers tonight. Player ratings: https://www.onlinegooner.com/articles/view/arsenal-3-1-chelsea-gunners-ease-past-sorry-blues-to-return-to-the-top-of-premier-league

Odegaard feels Arsenal didn't keep the ball enough in a "chaotic" second half where Chelsea went more direct.

Martin Odegaard speaking to Sky Sports: "We showed a very different spirit, a different team to last time... everyone was so hurt after the City game and we used the anger and disappointment to bounce back".

So Arsenal move back to the top of the Premier League by two points, but Manchester City have two games in hand. They travel to East London to take on West Ham tomorrow night.

That scoreline arguably doesn't do Arsenal justice such was their dominance, but it was a performance that slightly tailed off in the second half after a rampant first 45. Perhaps they felt sorry for a hapless Chelsea side that were torn apart by the likes of Odegaard and Xhaka, who combined for Arsenal's first two goals before Jesus' finish made it 3-0 within 34 minutes. Madueke pulled one back in the second half but Chelsea couldn't build on the goal, and it finishes 3-1 to the Gunners.

FULL TIME: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea.

95' Xhaka's long range effort is saved and nothing comes of the rebound. Tierney works hard to track back and win back possession. 3-1

93' Havertz pushes Kiwior off the ball and unleashes a powerful effort on his left foot but is denied by Ramsdale. 3-1

91' Ziyech blasts a shot over the crossbar. 3-1

90' Foul on Chilwell by Thomas Partey. Ziyech's free kick is headed away by Jesus as we enter 5 minutes of added on time. 3-1

86' Final change for Chelsea as Chalobah comes on for Fofana. 3-1

85' For the fifth and final time, Gabriel is down and finally he will be substituted, with Rob Holding coming on. Azpilicueta tries to hurry him off the pitch to no avail whilst Partey comes on for Jorginho. 3-1

84' Odegaard is on a hat-trick and finally gets a chance to complete it, driving into the box but his shot is well saved by Kepa. 3-1

80' Kovacic slides through Jesus and is booked by the referee before Gabriel goes down injured for the third time in the second half. Rob Holding is warming up but Gabriel continues. 3-1

79' Thiago Silva's header is deflected wide before Arsenal deal with Mudryk's corner. Hakim Ziyech comes on for Chelsea goalscorer Noni Madueke for their third substitution. 3-1

77' Mudryk's pace has caused Arsenal a few problems but Chelsea still can't link the play together in that final third. 3-1

73' Zinchenko replaced by Tierney and Nelson comes on for Saka. 3-1

"You should have signed for the Arsenal" sing the Gooners...

70' If you were worried that Madueke's goal could galvanize Chelsea and help them put pressure on Arsenal, it doesn't seem to have. Arsenal are back in control of the ball and Mudryk and Gallagher are introduced from the bench with loud boos for the Ukrainian. 3-1

65' Chelsea have one back! Madueke runs in behind Zinchenko and collects Kovacic's pass, and his scrappy finish finds a way past Ramsdale. 3-1

62' Jesus chips the ball to Martinelli on the left hand side of the penalty area. Azpilicueta puts the tackle in and the referee gives the corner Arsenal's way before a swift Chelsea counter attack that comes to nothing. Kante drove through the middle but his pass was poor and Madueke switched off. 3-0

59' First substitution for Arsenal as Martinelli comes on for Trossard, who has been excellent. 3-0

56' Arsenal attack again as White and Saka combine but the latter's shot from a tight angle is saved by the legs of Kepa. Fans start the Oles before Saka drives the ball wide! 3-0

54' Chilwell makes inrodes again but his cross is mishit wide of the post. 3-0

53' Good save by Kepa- a swift counter attack ends at the feet of Xhaka who curled the ball towards the far post but Kepa was there to deny him. Jesus volleys over from the resulting corner. 3-0

51' How close were Arsenal to scoring a fourth?! Jesus gets his head to the inswinging corner and Thiago Silva is back to clear it off the line in a cool and collected manner. 3-0

50' Azpilicueta fouls Jesus who makes a bit of a meal out of it but Arsenal have a free kick on the left hand side near the touchline. Trossard's delivery is blocked by Sterling at the near post and out for a corner. 3-0

46' Back UNDERWAY for the second half! 3-0

Aubameyang is subbed off at half time! He is replaced by Kai Havertz to the delight of the Arsenal fans.

Arsenal had 57% possession in that first half and managed 8 shots to Chelsea's 2, but those stats don't do justice for a brilliant display. The Gunners pressed as a unit out of possession and used the ball so well.

Arsenal have blown Chelsea away in that first half thanks to Granit Xhaka setting up Odegaard not once but twice before Gabriel Jesus made it three. It's the performance that every Arsenal fan was looking for after their recent drop off in form.

HALF TIME: Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

47' Better from Chelsea who pass their way through the Arsenal defence but Sterling is tackled fairly according to the referee. 3-0

46' Soft foul by Jesus on Sterling as we enter two minutes of additional time. 3-0

43' Finally Arsenal fans have a chance to jeer Aubameyang! Madueke plays a heavy pass into him but it bounces off his shin and falls behind for a goal kick. 4 of his 7 touches in this first half have been kick offs... 3-0

41' Fofana was caught in the face by Jesus as the Brazilian tried to brush off the defender and is down receiving treatment. 3-0

39' Ramsdale tries to play out from the back but his pass is sloppy, but Arsenal are able to stop Sterling getting into the box and they can clear it away. 3-0

37' "This proves that the idea that spending money to solve all the problems at your football club is absolute nonsense"- Jamie Carragher is laying into Chelsea's transfer policy on Sky Sports. 3-0

35' White's deep cross wasn't dealt with by Chelsea- Jesus brought it down and Xhaka's shot was blocked but it fell to an unmarked Jesus, who had an easy finish. 3-0

GOAL! It's another one for Arsenal! This time it's Gabriel Jesus at the back post to make it Arsenal 3, Chelsea 0!

Again it starts with Xhaka, who got the ball back from Trossard before playing another low pass to set up Odegaard, who again finishes first time on his left foot. A very similar goal to the opener! 2-0

31' GOAL! It's Martin Odegaard again and it's no more than Arsenal deserve. 2-0!

29' First signs of aggression from Noni Madueke but the Arsenal defence stand their ground and Zinchenko wins back possession. 1-0

27' Arsenal are moving the ball around with ease and they are so quick to win it back whenever Chelsea are in possession. The Gunners then have a big appeal for handball waved away after Trossard's cross hit Fofana, who was turning away from the ball. 1-0

25' Brilliant save by Ramsdale to deny Chilwell! Kante switches the play and Chilwell gets past Saka and Ramsdale is at full stretch to palm the ball around the post. 1-0

20' "You're going down" sing the delighted Arsenal fans, apart from the Ashburton Army, who for some reason all vacated their seats when the game kicked off. They've missed a dominant opening spell from Arsenal culminating in a fine finish from Odegaard. 0-0

Jesus moves the ball wide to Xhaka who slides a pass through the legs of Fernandez, and Odegaard curls the ball first time from the edge of the box. Kepa gets a finger to it and the ball bounces in off the crossbar! 1-0

17' GOAL! 1-0 to the Arsenal, and it's another delightful strike from Martin Odegaard!

15' Zinchenko floats a pass over the top with Xhaka running in behind to force a corner off of Fofana. Saka's header is then saved acrobatically by Kepa who manages to hold on to the ball. 0-0

12' Arsenal's corner goes short and Trossard's cross is just over the head of Gabriel at the back post. 0-0

10' Odegaard plays through Jesus who finds Xhaka, but his touch is too heavy and Chelsea are able to swoop. Arsenal really dominating the possession in these early exchanges and forcing Chelsea into errors. 0-0

9' Jorginho slips through Bukayo Saka but Thiago Silva gets in front to block the ball behind and ends up colliding with the advertising hoardings. 0-0

It was a real mistake from Azpilicueta but Kepa does well, quick off his line and saves with his legs. It's a back 4 for Chelsea rather than a 5.

5' Poor header from Azpilicueta and Xhaka was lurking but his shot is saved by Kepa! 0-0

1' Great start for Arsenal as Saka carries the ball down the right hand side before cutting inside, but his shot is blocked. 0-0

1' Underway at the Emirates! Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

A tifo reading VAMOS with a mural of Mikel Arteta celebrating wildly is unfurled in the North Bank, with another reading Nuestra Casa (our house) in the Clock End.

The teams are in the tunnel and are led out by Martin Odegaard and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has certainly not hit the ground running at Chelsea after signing in September last year from Barcelona, but it's no real surprise to see Frank Lampard bring him in to try and prove a point against the manager that exiled him from the Arsenal side after one disciplinary breach too many. He was almost invisible in the reverse fixture, but this is a huge opportunity for the striker tonight.

Arsenal simply have to beat Chelsea tonight to keep any title hopes alive. Kick off is in ten minutes time!

There have been 171 league meetings between Arsenal and Chelsea, with Arsenal winning 67 to Chelsea's 54, and 50 draws. Arsenal won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Gabriel's close range finish in the second half.

Arsenal will go back to the top of the Premier League with a win tonight, whilst Chelsea will take 11th of Crystal Palace if they avoid defeat. The Blues are only 9 points above the relegation zone after the failures of Graham Potter's spell have extended into Frank Lampard's caretaker reign.

It's a big night for Jakub Kiwior, who joined Arsenal from Serie A club Spezia in January. The centre back has made just two Premier League appearances but has been called in to replace Rob Holding, as Arsenal's lack of squad depth in defence has been exposed. If Kiwior performs tonight he could cement his place in the side for the remainder of the season with Saliba out injured.

Arsenal fans have tried to erase last Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Manchester City from their memory- the title is now back in City's hands with Pep Guardiola's side a point clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Mikel Arteta speaking to Sky Sports: "We have to change things. We conceded too many goals, we have to shake it up, we have to give people opportunities as well that they fully deserved, and today was a day to do that in my opinion."

If you're heading down to the Emirates then make sure to look out for editor Layth Yousif and buy a copy of Issue 300, which has hit the streets today! Otherwise, copy and paste the following link: https://shop.onlinegooner.com/product_info.php/products_id/520

So both Jorginho and Aubameyang start against their former sides, with Mikel Arteta bringing in Kiwior and Trossard as well as Jorginho into the starting lineup.

Chelsea: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Fofana, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic, Madueke, Aubameyang, Sterling.

Arsenal: Ramsdale. White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko. Jorginho, Xhaka. Saka, Odegaard, Trossard. Jesus

Good afternoon and welcome to today's live blog, as Arsenal welcome a Chelsea side looking for their first win under interim manager Frank Lampard. The Gunners desperately need three points at the Emirates to keep their title hopes alive following last week's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.