Following their emphatic victory over Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal\u2019s quest to win the Premier League title continues with another London derby as Mikel Arteta\u2019s side host Chelsea on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Liam Rosenior will have learnt some lessons from Chelsea\u2019s Carabao Cup semi-final defeat by Arsenal as he looks to steer his team into a Champions League spot.<\/p>\n
But what can both sides take from their most recent results and meetings, which players will be key and what does a good result for each club this season look like as we enter March?<\/p>\n
Arsenal writer Amy Lawrence and her Chelsea counterpart Cerys Jones give their thoughts.<\/p>\n
How important was last week\u2019s result going into this game?<\/h2>\n
Lawrence:<\/strong> The importance is best summed up by imagining what might have happened with a different result. Ooof. It felt like the weight of Arsenal\u2019s world was at stake. So, a reviving victory, based on an uplifting performance, injected a renewed sense of joy and promise. There is fascination ahead to see if the liberation evident in Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze in particular \u2014 two players Arsenal needed to eke more out of \u2014 will be long-lasting or remain a flash in Tottenham\u2019s pan.<\/p>\n The strange thing about this period of the season is how Arsenal emotions lurch based on each result. It is doom or delirium, which is extreme enough to feel quite fragile. That said, a rare full week between games gives the players a chance to breathe, take stock, and refocus on what they are driving for during the season\u2019s climax.<\/p>\n \n Viktor Gyokeres put in a great performance against Spurs (Glyn Kirk\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jones: <\/strong>Last week\u2019s draw with Burnley in itself is not that significant \u2014 disappointing, yes, but the sort of result that crops up throughout every team\u2019s season. But this was not an isolated incident, and that\u2019s a problem. To have a player sent off (this time Wesley Fofana) and drop points from a winning position harks back to frustrating results earlier in the season which have resulted in Chelsea now scrabbling to finish in the top five. They went into the reverse fixture six points off the top with a game in hand; they headed into this weekend fifth, only ahead of sixth-placed Liverpool on goal difference.<\/p>\n Chelsea were never favourites for this game. The impact of last week\u2019s result is that the focus shifts away from the occasion of a London derby and towards what dropping points again would mean for Champions League qualification. Things have generally gone well under Rosenior in the league, but the past two games have left them with little margin for error.<\/p>\n Lawrence: <\/strong>Over the two legs, Arteta probably gained some confidence in the capabilities of his team in different situations. For a spell at Stamford Bridge in the first leg Arsenal played with impressive verve and determination to dominate. At 3-1 (it could easily have been more) it looked like they had Chelsea\u2019s number. A seemingly unnecessary concession to make it 3-2 was a blot, and it\u2019s a habit Arsenal have not yet eradicated, so it will be important to bear that in mind.<\/p>\n As for the second leg, not sure how much of a learning experience it was to have it confirmed that Kai Havertz has the presence to be fundamental to Arsenal. Overall, they were able to keep their opponents at arm\u2019s length.<\/p>\n \n Liam Rosenoir and Mikel Arteta will take valuable lessons from their Carabao Cup meeting (Chris Lee \u2013 Chelsea FC\/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jones: <\/strong>This game sits in a very different context to both legs of the semi-final for Chelsea. The first leg was Rosenior\u2019s first game in charge against Premier League opposition, and he was without players including Reece James, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, and Moises Caicedo. It was hard to draw many conclusions from that.<\/p>\n The second leg was also something of a one-off. Rosenior set up with a back five, choosing to prioritise not conceding an early goal that would have killed the tie. There is nothing to suggest he will do that again on Sunday \u2014 but in case he was considering it, the second leg should serve as a lesson that a defensive approach is both very hard to pull off against Arsenal (though Chelsea did come close), and is not particularly popular with the fans.<\/p>\n Lawrence: <\/strong>That depends entirely on how full, or empty, any individual fan\u2019s glass is. The range is probably from a domestic trophy or two to a quadruple (which is not exactly a normal aspiration that is seen through by any great side so it is on the wildly ambitious side of things).<\/p>\n Clearly no trophies at all would be heartbreaking, given the steady evolution of the squad during the past few years. Most would be thrilled to hoist one of the big ones, even though there is still a long and precarious road ahead in both.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Given Chelsea\u2019s squad has only grown stronger since last season, with several signings and no key departures \u2014 though long-term injuries to Levi Colwill (ongoing) and Palmer will have had an impact \u2014 at least maintaining Champions League status has to be the expectation.<\/p>\n They are in the top five for now and have chances to take points off their direct rivals for fifth place, Manchester United and Liverpool, in the run-in \u2014 but if what has happened so far this season is anything to go by, it is dropping points in seemingly more innocuous fixtures which could undo them.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/02\/23125052\/GettyImages-2262512221-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat has your club\u2019s manager learnt from the Carabao Cup semi-final?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/03\/26145617\/GettyImages-2256294877-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat is the minimum return your club\u2019s fans will expect from this season now?<\/h2>\n