Ian Wright has slammed Chelsea after their dire 5-0 defeat by Arsenal and hit out at two stars in particular.
The Gunners thumped Mauricio Pochettino’s side at the Emirates on Tuesday to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Ben White scored twice, while Kai Havertz also netted a brace after Leandro Trossard had put Arsenal on their way in what was a dismal night for the Blues as they collapsed in the second half.
And, Arsenal icon Wright took aim at Chelsea for ‘clocking off’, while he accused Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson of ‘disappearing’ during the defeat, referencing their role in the Blues’ bizarre penalty row last week.
‘We saw that big incident over the penalty, players fighting for the ball,’ he said on Premier League Productions.
Ian Wright claimed two Chelsea stars ‘disappeared’ during their 5-0 thrashing by Arsenal
Wright also insisted Mauricio Pochettino’s side ‘clocked off’ in the second half of the defeat
Arsenal ran riot in the second half as they added four goals in a dominant 18-minute period
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‘Those two players [Jackson and Madueke] are not exactly pulling up trees with their performances.
‘They have the confidence and the cheek to do that to the best player in the team [Palmer], but when you really need them they’re not turning up. It seems to me that their minds are not on what they need to do.’
The farcical penalty incident Wright refers came during Chelsea’s 6-0 win over Everton last week.
It had initially been sparked when Madueke grabbed the ball to take a penalty while usual taker Cole Palmer was down after being felled by Abdoulaye Doucoure
Jackson then attempted to pinch the ball off the winger, before Palmer got up to claim the penalty.
However, Madueke was reluctant to give the ball up and hid it behind his back, before Jackson steamed in with a last-gasp attempt to steal the spot kick, as Palmer shoved the Senegalese striker.
Gallagher and Caicedo acted as peacemakers, with Palmer eventually slotting the ball past Jordan Pickford.
And Wright felt that incident, coupled with their shrinking displays on Tuesday night, should set alarm bells ringing for Pochettino and Chelsea.
He added: ‘If you’re thinking about taking a penalty off your best player when you’re 4-0 up but you come to Arsenal and you almost disappear and miss chances, there’s something wrong. There’s something massively wrong in that dressing room.
‘They were fighting over the penalty which tells me they want it easy. It’s not easy, especially when you come to a place like Arsenal and you haven’t got your best player.
‘You need to show up. But they missed chances and then they clocked off at 2-0, they clocked off.’
Speaking post-game, Pochettino bemoaned his side’s display and lack of fighting spirit in the second half.
Wright hit out at both Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke for their displays against Arsenal
Conor Gallagher had to intervene to allow Cole Palmer (right) to take a penalty against Everton last week after Jackson and Madueke were involved in Chelsea’s bizarre penalty row
Pochettino criticised his side’s attitude after the game and claimed they ‘gave up’ at 3-0 down
‘It’s not difficult to explain,’ the Argentine said. ‘Everyone saw we didn’t compete from the beginning of the game.
‘After we conceded the team was so soft. I’m so disappointed with the start because we’re supposed to have full energy and compete better.
‘We were not aggressive and we did not concentrate on situations where it is easy to find the solution. That is why I’m so disappointed.
‘When we conceded the third goal the team gave up. It was tough on them. The team showed a lack of capacity to resist – that is what is the problem.’