Arsenal youngsters Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka etched their respective names into the history books of English football on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s men, of course, secured a timely return to winning ways just shy of 24 hours ago.
After making the trip to Stamford Bridge fresh off trio of successive Premier League defeats, the widespread assumption was that the Gunners would be put to the sword once more, to deal the club’s top-4 hopes a potentially decisive blow.
When all was said and done, however, a fine performance on the part of the evening’s visitors culminated in their emergence on the right side of a 4-2 scoreline.
Two players, meanwhile, to have proven key to Arsenal’s triumph came in the form of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka.
The former bagged the Gunners’ 2nd of the clash courtesy of a clever right-footed finish, before wide-man Saka rounded out the scoring in west London from the penalty spot deep into injury time.
, !
Scenes of jubilation for Arsenal as Saka’s penalty seals a 4-2 win against Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/PS2y7jBYtN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2022
And, as alluded to above, in the process, Arsenal’s Hale End pair managed to secure for themselves an altogether impressive piece of history.
As revealed by statisticians Opta, Saka and Smith Rowe have become just the third duo from the same club to rack up ten or more goals across a single Premier League campaign whilst aged 21 or under, after Michael Bridges and Harry Kewell (Leeds), and Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).
2 – Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have both scored 10+ goals in the Premier League this season; just the third time two players aged 21 or under have done so for the same team in a campaign (Bridges & Kewell for Leeds in 99-00, Rooney & Ronaldo for Man Utd in 06-07). Jewels. pic.twitter.com/CeVp9fzTmX
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 20, 2022
Red Devils test
Shifting focus away from matters on Wednesday and back towards the road ahead for Arsenal, another absolutely integral fixture when it comes to the club’s season goals of course lies in wait this weekend.
The Gunners are set to welcome Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, for a Premier League showdown.
As things stand, the two sides are separated by just three points, albeit with United having played a game more, as the battle for a top-four berth looks set to come down to the wire in the English top-flight.
Arsenal trio star as Chelsea fail to impress: Chelsea vs Arsenal player ratings
Arsenal ‘step forward’ for Serie A striker
