Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

Arsenal moved to the top of the Premier League again at the weekend with a comfortable 2-0 over Wolves and the manager was impressed with the way his team played.

The Gunners were knocked out of Europe last week by Bayern Munich and responded in style with Arteta saying: “It was really good, I really liked the performance, the result, the clean sheet but also the way individually and a team they showed they still have a step forward to make.

“We realised we want to be involved in big competitions, fighting for the Champions League, fighting for the Premier League, the level it requires, we have to do something special. You have to have that love to compete.”

“It’s not about us, Pep or myself, it’s about the well-being of the players,” Arteta said when speaking about how bust the schedule is becoming for teams that are also competing in European competitions.

“Especially when you are competing in European competition, everything has to be competed in the same way.”

He added: “You cannot have a team that hasn’t played for seven days or three days before and has more recovery time and you have to play in the Premier League or the FA Cup.

“It is not right. If you look at it any angle it’s not right. If you want to protect and you always talk about the players and the protagonists, let’s protect them and think about them and do everything we can to give them the maximum time so they can recover and they can maintain the show they put on every week.

“We stayed in Munich, I think we had two hours sleep, wake up and we started to talk about Wolves first of all and then understand what we had to do to win the game.

“The boys were unbelievable. You look at the amount of games we have played in the last few weeks, the type of games we have played and the attitude and the way they have run today is top.”

Guardiola said it was “unacceptable” that his side had to play an FA Cup semi-final less than 72 hours after being in action in the Champions League on Wednesday night as they beat Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday tea-time.

The Gunners’ plight was arguably worse as they were also in Europe on Wednesday night but had to travel back from Germany on Thursday following their Champions League exit to Bayern Munich.

Chelsea lost this fixture 3-1 last season with Martin Odegaard scoring twice and Gabriel Jesus also on target as the Gunners triumphed at the Emirates.

However, the Blues have not lost consecutive Premier League away games against Arsenal since a run of three between December 2001 and October 2003.

Mikel Arteta sought the opinion of Mauricio Pochettino before leaving Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s assistant to become manager of Arsenal.

“When I had to make a decision I asked him and explained the situation and he gave me some advice and he was needed,” Arteta said.

“I admire what he’s done in his career and he’s someone I’ve looked to because he was impactful to me in the most important stage of my career. As a role model I can’t pick anyone better.

“He doesn’t need to help me about tactics. The best influence he has had on me is the way he speaks about his life, his professionalism, his family and who he was as a figure in the dressing room and the passion and love he has for the game.

“That for me is the most important things which I learnt from him.”

When asked how influential Mauricio Pochettino was for Mikel Arteta when he was a professional player, the Gunners manager had nothing but praise replying: “He’s one of the most. I was 17 or 18 in Paris with no experience in professional football.

“He doesn’t like me saying it but to me he was like a father, he took me under his arm, he gave me incredible advice and protected me, he inspired me and I learned so much in our two years together.”

Arteta played alongside the Chelsea boss at Paris Saint-Germain before their rise as coaches in Europe’s top divisions.

The Arsenal manager talked up the influence Pochettino had on him as a player, admitting he was inspired by the Argentinian as a teenager.

Simon Hooper will officiate tonight’s game, which will be his 22nd Premier League match this season.

His last involvement in an Arsenal game was in a 2-1 win away to Nottingham Forest in January, one of four wins they have claimed in the six matches he has been appointed to.

Meanwhile Chelsea have lost both times he has overseen them this term – a 2-0 home loss to Brentford and a 4-1 reverse at Newcastle when he sent off Reece James.

Referee: Simon Hooper Assistants: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long Fourth official: Graham Scott VAR: Peter Bankes Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett

Mauricio Pochettino has bigged up Chelsea’s chances of beating Arsenal this evening with or without Cole Palmer who is a doubt for the game.

“With or without Cole we always believe we can win,” said Pochettino, “The most important thing is the team and the collective. He is an important part of the team and is doing fantastic for us, but we are Chelsea and we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job.

“It is a good challenge in case Palmer is not available. It’s a good challenge for the teammates. If I am a teammate of Cole Palmer in his position or a similar position, I am going to be motivated to go there tomorrow and show this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.”

Mikel Arteta spoke about Arsenal’s opponents tonight and explained how he feels the Blues have developed over the course of the season.

The Arsenal manager said: “They have made huge improvements. I think they deserve to be in a much higher position in the league, when you look at what they’ve done and what they’ve produced in games – they’ve reached a final, they’ve reached a semi-final, they could have been through.

“I think what Mauricio is doing is really impressive, so I’m sure that he’s going to get them there.

“I think the journey of [us and Chelsea] are very, very different. Nothing to compare in my opinion. It’s a huge admiration for Mauricio because I’ve known him since 23 years ago and I really wish him all the best.

“He’s an incredible manager, he’s a huge leader and he will inspire the club to get what they want to get, that’s for sure.”