- Friendly: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
- Xhaka 69; Havertz 26, Abraham 72
Perhaps it was a way to make a 25,000-strong crowd feel at home. The goal that afforded Chelsea half-hearted bragging rights on an afternoon of rollicking entertainment felt like a tribute act to Arsenal failings past; in the present it rather demonstrated that, with a dozen days remaining until the new season, the unresolved issues around this part of north London persist in significant volume.
Anatomising the winner in a friendly, in this case the first match in a three-team series that also involves Spurs, would generally be folly. This one, though, told a few stories simultaneously. Héctor Bellerín, who would like to leave Arsenal but has been offered a new contract in the absence of a bid that would make them sell, attempted a pass deep inside his own half towards Granit Xhaka, whose employment situation is identical. It was wayward and Tammy Abraham, who might leave Chelsea and has been linked with a move to Arsenal, was played through to make the score 2-1 with a coolness the hosts may have found seductive.