"This was men against boys" - Rio Ferdinand on Chelsea's performance in 5-0 loss to Arsenal
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand criticized Chelsea's performance in their dismal 5-0 battering at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday, April 23. Ferdinand believes the game at the Emirates was a mismatch and highlighted the gulf in quality between the two teams.
The Blues were outclassed on Tuesday and could have conceded even more goals. Although Chelsea had more possession in the fixture (56-44), they were outshot 27-7 by the Gunners. 10 of Arsenal's efforts were on target while the Blues troubled David Raya on just one occasion.
Speaking after the match on TNT Sport, Ferdinand said (via Absolute Chelsea on X):
“They [Chelsea] were second best all over the pitch today. This was men against boys. They have been good in recent weeks and this season. I think they were way off it.”
Arsenal got the scoring started in the fourth minute and Chelsea did not have a reply to the Gunners' pressing and passing patterns till the end of the game.
The Blues will hope they can get back to winning ways when they visit Aston Villa next in the league on Saturday, April 27.
Mauricio Pochettino deflated after Chelsea suffer defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was dejected after his side endured a humiliating 5-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League. The Blues were second best in all regards and rightfully lost the game. The Argentine tactician will have to go back to the drawing board to find a way back for his team after the result.
Speaking to the press after the match, the former Tottenham Hotspur coach said (via football.london):
"I feel disappointed, I feel really bad. I don't feel great. The performance was not good. We started the game not in the way we were supposed to start. We conceded a goal so easily, we made things easy for Arsenal."
Pochettino added:
"I think after 10 or 15 minutes, after we concede, in this moment we started to play a little bit, we started to create some chances. We were talking at half-time, it is not possible to start the game like this, but we started in a bad way again – conceding two goals in this moment, I think the team gave up and we were not in the game."
It is unlikely Pochettino will continue at the club after this season, with the Blues enduring another disappointing campaign and sitting in ninth place at the time of writing.