Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal 'spirit' after win at Chelsea boosts top four hopes

Tuchel lambasts more poor defending by the Blues in 4-2 Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, right is congratulated by teammate Arsenal's Martin Odegaard after he scored his sides 4th goal from the penalty spot during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP Photo / Frank Augstein)

Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah scores their third goal. Reuters

Eddie Nketiah celebrates scoring Arsenal's third goal with Emile Smith Rowe. Reuters

Bukayo Saka scores from the spot for Arsenal's fourth. AP

Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta, left, celebrates scoring to make it 1-1. PA

Cesar Azpilicueta scores Chelsea's second goal. Reuters

Emile Smith Rowe celebrates after scoring Arsenal's second goal. Getty

Timo Werner scores Chelsea's opening goal. Getty

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku shakes hands with manager Thomas Tuchel after being substituted. Getty

Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe celebrates after scoring. Getty

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. EPA

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek jumps over a challenge by Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal. AFP

Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah celebrates scoring the opening goal. EPA

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his players after ending a three-match losing streak with a 4-2 win at rivals Chelsea on Wednesday to boost their Premier League top four hopes.

Former Chelsea Academy player Eddie Nketiah scored twice, earning Arsenal the lead both times after Timo Werner had cancelled out his opener and Cesar Azpilicueta equalised following Emile Smith-Rowe's goal. Bukayo Saka then confirmed the victory in injury time, winning a contentious penalty before converting from the spot.

After losing their last three games, Nketiah's crucial contribution lifted Arsenal back into the race to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish. The Gunners are in fifth place, behind fourth-placed Tottenham on goal difference with both teams having six games to play, including against each other.

"It's a great night and the players deserve it. It has been a tough two weeks but you have to bounce back and show spirit," Arteta said. "I love the spirit of these players. When you lose matches you get criticised but for these players it is worth it. They are really growing."

On Nketiah, Arteta added: "What Eddie has done tonight is because of what he has done for the last 10 months and no one has noticed. I said to him I haven't been fair. I should have been playing him more."

Arsenal's hopes of returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2017 face another vital test against sixth-placed Manchester United on Saturday.

FA Cup finalists Chelsea remain in third place, but they are now only five points ahead of Arsenal and cannot take a top-four place for granted.

Chelsea have conceded 11 goals in their last three home games and Azpilicueta's frustration boiled over in an angry exchange with a fan after the final whistle.

Chelsea v Arsenal player ratings

Blues manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he could empathise with the fan and shared his frustration at more slack defending from his team at Stamford Bridge. While Chelsea have been largely excellent away from home, including a 6-0 win at Southampton and 3-2 victory after extra time at Real Madrid, their form has slumped inside their own stadium.

"I was not part of it, I saw it, but, honestly, I can also understand the fan," Tuchel said. "We had a good start but again gave the first goal away, which is impossible to do these things in consecutive matches, but we're doing it.

"It's a level of mistakes, the number of mistakes in consecutive games here at home, it's impossible at this kind of level. You don't see this. It has to stop."