Mikel Arteta: Chelsea are ‘best attacking team in the league’

Mikel Arteta has described Chelsea as “the best attacking team in the league” after they managed just two shots on target in a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday.

Mikel Merino’s 20th-minute header settled a contest short on quality at Emirates Stadium which moved Arsenal to within 12 points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea, by contrast, stay in fourth place after their eighth league defeat of the campaign, during which some Blues fans chanted “attack, attack, attack” as their team made hard work of creating opportunities of note.

Key forward Cole Palmer was absent through injury — joining Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk on the sidelines — and they went closest to scoring when Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya allowed Marc Cucurella’s 37th-minute volley spill through his hands and drift just past his left-hand post.

“We have conceded almost nothing apart from that strange save from David, I would say and that’s a big credit to the team because in my opinion they are the best attacking team in the league,” Arteta said.

“In open play, [they are] by a mile. I mean, the stats say it and everything that I’ve seen, say it. They can open you up, they can run in transition, they have individual quality, any player in the defensive line can throw you in behind, they can combine on both sides, on weak sides and they are missing some big players as well at the moment.”

Pushed on whether he felt Chelsea would be a major threat next season, Arteta continued: “Yes and I think they wouldn’t have to play Thursday, Sunday. With the amount of injuries that they had as well, they were on the edge but because of the manager that they have, that is really good and the players and the squad, the quality that they have.”