Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated that beating Chelsea so handsomely was important for the team’s mentality.
The Gunners have traditionally struggled to get one over their London rivals and have suffered some gruelling defeats at the hands of the Blues over recent seasons.
However, with three invaluable Premier League points on the line at the weekend, the Emirates Stadium hosts scored three unanswered goals to win 3-0 convincingly.
First-half strikes from Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil gifted the Gunners victory and the result was never really in doubt after Arsenal’s strong start to the clash.
Wenger has stated that the psychological boost of beating bogey team Chelsea will be a real boost to the team, who hope to be in the running to land major silverware this season.
“What was very important for me was that the psychological hurdle didn’t stand in our way,” the Frenchman told the club’s official website.
“You have not to make too much of it but as well not ignore it. You cannot say to your players that they have always done well against Chelsea, because it’s not true.
“To find that balance is not always easy, but I told them the best way was to focus on the quality of the football we wanted to play and do that with belief. Today it went quite well.”
Arsenal are back in Champions League action in midweek and host Swiss side FC Basle at the Emirates Stadium in their first home game of the European campaign.
