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Arsenal’s magical preseason continued with a sensational 4-0 result against London rivals Chelsea in a match played in front of a record crowd in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
Four different players found the back of the net for Arsenal, while it was another in a series of disappointing preseason displays for the Blues, who clearly have work to do.
The Gunners were all over Chelsea from the opening whistle with aggressive and direct play and the tone was set by center forward Gabriel Jesus who scored the opening goal after Chelsea were turned over in their own half.
A similar quick-fire move led to Martin Odegaard’s strike as Arsenal entered halftime up 2-0.
Chelsea changed its formation back to its customary 3-4-3 to start the second half and things looked better early on, but they could not find a goal as the scoring troubles of last year continued to haunt the Blues.
Instead, following a host of subs made by both clubs, it was Arsenal which found the net twice more with more aggressive, fast-paced attacks.
Saka pounced on a rebound after two straight saves by Chelsea ‘keeper Edouard Mendy, and an unmarked Sambi Lokonga headed home a long cross as Chelsea were outmatched.
It’s now a perfect five wins in five for Arsenal during what has been an impressive preseason run.
The other victories have included wins over Ipswich Town, Nurnberg, Everton and Orlando City. They will play Sevilla on Saturday, July 30, at Emirates Stadium in London to close out the summer tune-up schedule.
Chelsea were coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw against MLS expansion side Charlotte FC in midweek and they needed a late goal just to beat Mexican side Club America before that.
Their final preseason match is at Italian side Udinese next Friday.