Arteta Has the Last Laugh: Arsenal's Last-Gasp Victory Over Lampard's Side

Arteta Has the Last Laugh: Arsenal’s Last-Gasp Victory Over Lampard’s Side

Arsenal can reclaim first place in the Premier League table if they defeat London rivals Chelsea on Tuesday night at the Emirates.

Since their initial meeting with their respective London clubs over three years ago, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard’s fortunes have altered considerably. Chelsea rallied from a goal down to defeat Arsenal 2-1 in Arteta’s first game in charge at the Emirates in late December 2019.

Tammy Abraham’s winning goal three minutes from time propelled Lampard’s side to fourth place in the Premier League, while Arsenal remained in 12th place and just six points clear of the bottom three. Arteta had just taken over from Unai Emery at the time, and the magnitude of his role at the Emirates was evident.

The former Manchester City coach, who worked under Pep Guardiola, has made steady progress at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup along the way. Arsenal’s board of directors has been rewarded for their faith in the Spanish manager by the club’s league victory this season.

Arteta has won 100 of his 175 matches as manager in three years and has been selected Premier League manager of the month six times. Arteta’s team won the FA Cup in his first season, advanced to the Europa League semi-finals the following season, and finished fifth last season.

Arsenal have clicked into gear this season, becoming title contenders with their 2-3-5 shape and in-game adjustments that opponents have struggled to manage. Taking cues from his former manager Guardiola, the Gunners have a five-pronged attack, which has been aided by the arrivals of Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba, and has given them a distinct identity.

Lampard, on the other hand, appeared to have the same long-term aim at Chelsea after signing a three-year contract in July 2019. Despite defeating Arteta in their first meeting as managers, Arsenal had the last laugh that season, defeating their London rivals 2-1 in the FA Cup final thanks to two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

However, Chelsea failed to repeat their fourth-place finish from the previous season, and a run of two wins in eight matches, as well as disagreements over the club’s transfer policy, resulted in Lampard’s dismissal in January 2021. Lampard was shockingly drafted in at Everton last year, replacing Rafael Bentez and nearly avoiding relegation.

Despite summer changes that initially worked, Everton fell back into relegation contention this season after a run of just one win in 11 games, and Lampard was fired in January. Lampard has suffered five defeats since taking over as Chelsea’s caretaker manager last month, while Arteta continues to enjoy the final laugh.