'Turning point' rescues Arteta

LONDON • One swallow does not make a summer and with only six points separating 17th-placed Fulham from Arsenal, Mikel Arteta's men are still far too close to the bottom three for comfort.

But the Spaniard is hopeful their 3-1 Premier League derby victory over Chelsea on Saturday can be a "turning point" in what has been a troubled season.

Against the odds at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners emphatically ended a seven-game winless run comprising two draws and five losses in the top flight in style with their first win since Nov 1.

Alexandre Lacazette's spot kick opened the scoring before Granit Xhaka's superb free kick made it 2-0 at half-time.

Bukayo Saka bagged the third after the break, ensuring that there would be no comeback from the Blues, who netted late on through Tammy Abraham, while Jorginho saw his stoppage-time penalty saved by Bernd Leno. The result buys Arteta a little breathing space following intense speculation of an imminent sacking.

While the Spaniard knows Arsenal can be sucked back into the relegation dogfight as their next two Premier League games are at strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion tomorrow and West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, he will savour the win over their London rivals.

"It's a really big win for us. We were really disappointed and frustrated with the results," he said.

"It doesn't get any better - Boxing Day, playing a London derby at the Emirates and winning the way we've done it. Hopefully, this is a turning point and will elevate the confidence of the team because I know they can play at this level. It is how consistent we are throughout the game to sustain that level.

"The spirit before the game was really positive, they really wanted it. I am pleased for the players and for the supporters, We have let them down for many weeks, so it was a good day."

Arteta also praised Xhaka's "unquestionable commitment" after the latter returned from a three-game suspension to score just his second goal since last season.

The Switzerland midfielder was cast as the villain after his red card against Burnley on Dec 13 largely contributed to Arsenal's 1-0 loss and was also heavily criticised for not apologising on social media.

Days it took for Arsenal to win again in the Premier League.

Xhaka alluded to the incident on Instagram after the Chelsea game, saying, "Sometimes, actions speak louder than words", but Arteta insisted he had no doubts about naming him in his line-up again.

"He made a mistake, like we all do, but his commitment and his character and how much he wants to fight for this club," he said.

Having won the FA Cup final against Chelsea in August, Arteta has now delivered two major blows to his counterpart Frank Lampard this year.

The visitors would have gone second with a victory, but instead dropped out of the top four following a third defeat in their last four league games.

Lacklustre in attack, Chelsea's £200 million-plus (S$359.4 million) overhaul in pre-season has yet to fully pay off, leading Lampard to rip into his "lazy" players.

"I'm angry because I want us to win games. We were lazy to give away a penalty, lazy to give away a free kick that he puts in the top corner," he said.

"I'm very disappointed in the way we approached the first half because some things in football are basics.

"It is not tactics or systems, it is do you want to run, back your teammate out and sprint? Or do you want to jog and say, 'Maybe I don't have to run', and we took that decision instead of the right one."

Timo Werner, a £47.5 million addition in the summer, was particularly poor and was taken off at half-time as his goal drought extended to 10 games in all competitions.

Hinting that the Germany striker might lose his place when Chelsea host Aston Villa in the league today, Lampard said: "Timo wasn't giving us enough with or without the ball. We'll see about the tiredness - I'll have a conversation with him."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS