Mikel Arteta’s side made basic errors in a predictable 2-0 defeat but it is the culture behind the scenes that is the real concern

Arsenal fans: honestly, what did you think was going to happen? Probably, in fairness, exactly that. Indeed, had you simulated this game several thousand times in advance, “an easy 2-0 milking for Chelsea with Romelu Lukaku running riot” would probably have been among the more common outcomes.

All the same, there was a startling quality to the way Arsenal lost here. Not simply the speed of their capitulation but the sheer stupidity of it, the bone-headed determination to keep making the same elementary mistakes, the way the 11 on the pitch were pretty much the only people in the stadium unable to see what was coming.

Related: Ruthless Romelu Lukaku puts feeble Arsenal to the sword on Chelsea return

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