Arsenal vs Chelsea: Five things we learned from the Blues' pre-season win against lacklustre Gunners

Chelsea eased to a 3-0 victory against London rivals Arsenal in the first outing of their pre-season tour this summer.

Michy Batshuayi hit a double in an impressive display for the Blues while Willian opened the scoring five minutes before half-time after a sustained period of pressure.

Arsenal, in contrast, looked disorganised and lacklustre - despite heading into the fixture with three games under their belt.

Arsene Wenger's men take on Benfica in their next match while the Blues face Bayern Munich.

Here's five things we learned:

Batshuayi offers food for thought

Antonio Conte wants a new striker to back up Alvaro Morata but Michy Batshuayi gave him plenty to ponder here. A cult hero amongst the fans – and on social media – Batshuayi, despite scoring the goal that sealed the title, never quite fit in under Conte’s stewardship and looks all set for a move away this summer. Indeed, Conte is understood to be looking at Swansea’s Fernando Llorente and Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke to deputise for £75m man Morata in the coming campaign but Batshuayi served notice on just what he can offer with an excellent display against the Gunners.

As well as two supremely well-taken goals the Belgian’s all round game was outstanding, linking with those around him and providing the focal point for the Blues to play off and around. Whether it’ll be enough to earn a stay of execution in Conte’s mind remains to be seen but it’ll certainly give the Italian some food for thought as he considers his options.

Moses sends Conte a message

Despite a standout season Victor Moses is another who heads into year two under plenty of question marks. The Nigerian was outstanding last term, the definitive symbol of just how transformative Conte was upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge. But that hasn’t stopped the Italian shopping for competition or even a replacement for the attacker-turned-midfielder-turned-wing-back this offseason.

Numerous names have been linked but, with a rival yet to arrive, Moses took his chance to show what he can do here and was excellent in both defence and attack as the champions comprehensively outclassed the Gunners.

Work still do for Arsenal

One of these teams has played four games this pre-season, the other only one, but you could be fooled for thinking it was the reigning champions who were well on their way to full strength such was the margin of their superiority today. Chelsea dominated an admittedly under-strength Arsenal in almost every aspect here, first to every ball and altogether sharper across the board. They won going away but should have triumphed by more in the end such was gulf in class on show. There remains much work to do for Arsene Wenger it appears. For Conte it seems the champs are right where he wants them to be.

​Arsenal defence lost at sea

Chelsea’s dominance was plain to see, with the Blues spending the closing minutes of the first half in particular camped out inside their opponent’s final third. Their persistence paid off, with Willian finally striking five minutes before half-time, before Batshuayi added a second moments later - but it had been a long time coming.

Arsenal’s defence was disorganised, haphazard and unsure of itself from the start while defensive incompetence ran through the backline like a stripe through rock. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ misplaced header in the opening minutes almost handed Chelsea an early lead while heavy touches from a number of guilty perpetrators repeatedly afforded the Blues possession in dangerous areas.

Indeed, it was Cohen Bramell’s sloppy touch and Per Mertesacker’s slack defending which saw Conte’s men go on to double their lead after Batshuayi’s precise finish. Against the pace and technical panache of Chelsea’s forward men, Wenger’s defenders looked lost at sea.

Giroud steps in as Lacazette continues to find his feet

Alexandre Lacazette may have lacked the service but he certainly failed to showcase the tenacity and positional intelligence to offer any form of threat for Arsenal. As warned by Robert Pires, the Frenchman is likely to need time to settle in under Wenger.

Instead, it fell to Olivier Giroud to lead Arsenal’s front line. Stepping in for Lacazette after the break, the veteran forward brought greater physicality and presence to Arsenal’s attack. He looked more willing to pressurise Chelsea’s back three and moved into the free areas when appropriate to link up with those around him.

It was his snappy flick with set up Danny Welbeck in the second half before the striker was brought down by David Luiz, earning Arsenal a dangerous free-kick on the edge of Chelsea’s box. Nothing came of it but was a passage of play which suggested Giroud still has a role to play as Lacazette continues to find his feet at Arsenal.