The Gunners stormed to a 3-0 win over the Blues as Antonio Conte’s side were put to the sword.
Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has urged his side to stick together in the wake of their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, but admits the manner of the defeat is tough during an interview with Chelsea’s official website.
Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott within the first 15 minutes set Arsenal on their way to an impressive victory, with Mesut Ozil adding a third before half time, but Chelsea made it far too easy for the Gunners with some woeful defending putting their title bid under serious scrutiny.
Back-to-back Premier League defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal have raised questions over the Blues’ defensive capabilities, with Gary Cahill gifting Sanchez the opening goal and Ivanovic in particular struggling to cope with Arsenal’s speed and movement at the Emirates.
But the Serbian expects his team to bounce back from a disappointing performance and believes that everybody is pulling in the same direction.
‘We didn’t start the game in the way we wanted. We didn’t believe in what we were doing at the beginning and we were punished,” he said.
‘As a team we didn’t answer anything the manager asked of us, we have to be honest with ourselves and put more attention on the small details.
“We have to be more focused and concentrated on the game. I know it’s very disappointing and it hurts all of us, but the opinion of everyone in the dressing room was in the same direction.
We have to build on that, stay together, work hard, and believe in what we are doing. I am sure we can come out of it stronger. We have to stick together.”
The 32-year-old’s days appear to be numbered at Chelsea, with his poor performance a continuation of his decline from last season.
With Chelsea keeping just one clean sheet so far this season, something has to change for Antonio Conte who switched to a 3-5-2 system midway through the second half, suggesting the Italian will implement the formation sooner rather than later.
New signing Marcos Alonso made his bow at left-back with Cesar Azpilicueta switching flanks and a centre-back trio of Cahill, Ivanovic and David Luiz.
But with individual mistakes and lapses in concentration clear for all to see in North London, Conte has a much bigger job on his hands than he originally thought.
The former Juventus manager will face a tricky task teaching an ageing Blues side to play with three at the back, and with Chelsea conceding the joint-most goals from sides in the top half of the table, they look a long way from taking the Premier League crown back from Leicester City.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
