'Stunk out the stadium' – National media slam Jackson and Pochettino after Chelsea defeat

The national media have slammed Nicolas Jackson and Mauricio Pochettino following Chelsea's 5-0 defeat to Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side stormed past the Blues at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening, giving themselves a huge boost in the Premier League title race.

The Gunners are now three points clear of Liverpool and four adrift from Manchester City at the top of the table. As for Chelsea, they've suffered a major blow in the race for Europa League qualification.

While the west London outfit remain just three points off Newcastle United in sixth, a London derby massacre will have certainly dented their confidence. So, with that being said, football.london has taken a look at how the national media have reacted to Chelsea's defeat to Arsenal.

The Guardian – David Hynter

"All that Arsenal can do is win, turn up the heat, ask the question of Manchester City, the defending Premier League champions, who retain control of their destiny in terms of this season’s thrilling title race. But how Mikel Arteta’s team won here and its message could not have been clearer. If City are to slip, Arsenal will be there to capitalise.

"One of the images of the evening was provided by a young Chelsea fan, who held up a cardboard sign towards the end. 'I don’t want your shirt. I want you to fight for ours,' it read. That stung. Then again, Chelsea’s players had stunk out the stadium.

"Arsenal’s intensity was breathtaking from the first action and they maintained it for the opening 30 minutes. They threatened to blow Chelsea away before dipping slightly and taking only a 1-0 lead into half-time. And so they went again, Arteta having sent his players out early for the second half, and this time they reduced Chelsea to rubble."

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The Mirror – Felix Keith

"Jackson only joined Chelsea in the summer, but he already has something of a reputation – and it’s not a positive one. He was involved in something different here – with Arsenal fans up in arms after he stood on Takehiro Tomiyasu in an ugly challenge early on – but once that had passed, it was back to the usual grumbles.

"He showed a brilliant turn of space to show William Saliba a clean pair of heels in the first half, but there was no end product, with his attempted pass hitting Gabriel Magalhaes and clipping the outside of David Raya’s post. That was promising, but he soon reverted to type, somehow contriving to handball Gallagher’s pinpoint cross. It continued after the break, too, with Jackson hitting the side netting after getting past a stumbling Gabriel.

"Jackson was plainly not supposed to be Chelsea’s first-choice striker for an entire season. He is 22 years old, inexperienced and full of potential. But his erratic finishing is threatening to erode that promise. And with Cole Palmer missing, there was no-one to turn to for Chelsea."

The Telegraph – Sam Wallace

"These are the late stages of the season when every goal in the title race matters and every win is freighted with anxiety, yet this night turned into the kind of parade for the home side normally reserved for teams with the big prize already assured.

"Arsenal luxuriated in goals, and they showed up every imperfection in this strange Chelsea conflagration of club record signings and club record embarrassment. It cost Chelsea’s new owners, helmed by those two American investors Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly £747.8 million in transfer fees in less than two years, to be this bad."

The Express – Sam Smith

"This was an uphill battle from the moment Chelsea named a team that did not feature Cole Palmer for just the second time since his switch from Man City. When Pochettino’s side have succeeded, Palmer has generally been key.

"Without the attacker, Chelsea looked toothless and lacked a link between defence and attack. They resorted to hopeful balls into the channels for Jackson to chase.

"What that says about £215m pair Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo is an entirely different dilemma for Pochettino. Just as the Argentine appeared to place Chelsea on the right track with last week’s 6-0 win over Everton, it was another two steps back for the West Londoners."