Arsenal had a corner, and Martin Odegaard went short to take it off Bukayo Saka. No Chelsea player went with him.
They played it between themselves, then to Declan Rice. Again, no Chelsea player made the instant move towards him on the edge of the box, giving him the chance to get a shot off. It took a deflection, landed at the feet of Ben White, and, again, with nobody getting in his face, he was able to pick his spot.
The utter passive sluggishness of the whole team was evident from before the corner was even taker. We saw it all coming.
It’s all a moot point as we were going to lose the game anyway, but it’s another dreadful sign from this team that they’re just not interested, not aware, or not instructed well. It’s another example of the shambolic set piece defending we’ve seen all year.
You can see the goal in the clips embedded here and see the shambles for yourself:
Ben White doubles Arsenal's advantage 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Ja3yvtk0yu
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 23, 2024
[Footage from TNT Sports]
BEN WHITE MAKES IT 2-0 pic.twitter.com/G1rpyE4maz
— ArsenalComps (@ArsenaIComps) April 23, 2024
[Footage from Viaplay Sport]
Ben White pounces on the loose ball to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead over Chelsea! 💪 pic.twitter.com/RwTRH2K6PJ
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 23, 2024
[Footage from NBC Sport]