Chelsea Edge Arsenal in Goalfest at Stamford Bridge

Sometimes, it's just not as easy to turn the page as everyone thought.

Two Premiership matches is a small sample size, but Arsenal still looks to have the same issues that ultimately forced Arsène Wenger outta North London.

In a dramatic battle, Chelsea played better football and thoroughly deserved their 3-2 win over the Gunners.

It kept the Blues 100% in the league while their capital city brethren remain pointless.

 

To be fair -- which is never fun to a club's hardcore supporters -- the early schedule didn't do new manager Unai Emery and his crew any favors, what with serving them Manchester City and Chelsea to open the season.

Even a few involved with the club he left haven't resisted the opportunity for an early dump on the dude.

 

The first half started with Chelsea performing 'way better than Arsenal.

The Blues went savage and took advantage of a badly positioned Gunner defense -- déjà vu, Arsenal? -- to swarm Petr Čech.

It didn't take nine minutes for the resistance to break. After a quality low cross from Marcos Alonso, Pedro found himself up close and personal with the Czech 'keeper:

The Blues almost seemed shocked at how easily they penetrated to Arsenal's box, but that's what can happen when you're from the toni part of town.

However, the Gunners could have leveled when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a clear chance at an open goal after great play from Héctor Bellerín.

Damn.

It's time once again to ask the age-old question ...

 

Maybe Aubameyang missed, but Álvaro Morata did not.

55 seconds after the Arsenal striker went 8-iron in a wedge situation, the Spaniard collected a deep ball from César Azpilicueta and beat Čech:

Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a chance as clear as Adubameyang's, but he also whiffed on it.

Dude made up for it in the 37th minute, though, with a thunderbolt to put Arsenal on the board:

Four minutes later, the Armenian drove in and assisted Alex Iwobi to score the equalizer in a close-range effort:

And surprisingly, the Gunners dominated from that point until the break.

Dudes even had a chance to go ahead again throough Iwobi, but this time the Nigerian's finish went wide.

It may have been a frenetic first half, but after the break, we had a different game.

Space was still there, but both sides started playing more cautiously.

Kepa saved Aaron Ramsey's close-range effort, while Čech continued tob e the Gunners' hero until the 81st minute, when Eden Hazard's low cross found Alonso, who just let the ball ricochet from his foot straight into the net:

For pure entertainment value, this was money well spent and time well-viewed.

There's more work to be done for both sides

Maurizio Sarri is rapidly endearing himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful. Meanwhile, Emery still needs to find a way to fix Arsenal's defense, but he clearly differs from Wenger in one respect. When he sees one of his dudes underperforming, he gives them the hook right then and there.

Another Gunner who needs to raise his game is former defensive mainstay and broadcast newbie Lee Dixon.

Dude sorta forgot Sir Winston Churchill's old line about the English and Americans being a common people divided by a common language.

 

Unfiltered.

Just the way Sarri likes 'em.