By Connor Armstrong at Stamford Bridge

SUMMARY

A moment of magic from Stephy Mavididi saw Arsenal claim a 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Young midfielder Reiss Nelson opened the scoring for the Gunners when his pinpoint finish evaded the grasp of Nathan Baxter.

The hosts hit back in the second period when substitute Charlie Wakefield slotted home just after the hour mark.

Arsenal were good value for their win, which was sealed in the 82nd minute when Mavididi charged through on goal before bamboozling both defender and goalkeeper with close control and a low, rifled drive.

SETTING THE SCENE

Steve Gatting made a raft of changes from the side that lost 5-0 to Everton, with only three players retaining their place in the starting line-up.

Chiori Johnson continued in defence, where he was joined by Krystian Bielik, Ben Sheaf and Marc Bola.

Nelson earned himself another start in midfield alongside Zelalem and the only other survivor from Monday night’s defeat, Ismael Bennacer.

Matt Macey started in goal, with Hugo Keto on the bench alongside Josh Dasilva, who was named among the substitutes for the first team’s EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest in midweek.

FIRST HALF

The Gunners may have been the away team but they quickly made themselves comfortable, moving the ball swiftly and going close to opening the scoring.

An effort from Nelson required a save from Baxter inside the opening five minutes as Gatting’s side looked for the breakthrough.

The game’s first goal would eventually come in the 24th minute, with Willock rolling the ball back to Nelson, who expertly picked his spot and put the ball beyond the grasp of Baxter.

Zelalem curled an effort into the arms of the Chelsea goalkeeper before working space again soon after and a low drive forced Baxter into another save.

SECOND HALF

If Macey considered himself underworked in the first half, that was about to change in the second with Chelsea forcing the issue.

Substitute Wakefield slammed a powerful effort at goal within a couple of minutes of the restart with Macey standing firm to beat the ball away.

The Arsenal keeper was at his best and made an imperious save soon after, clawing away a headed effort from Wakefield with the ball looking destined for the net.

The Blues would level however, with Wakefield firing home from a tight angle after another Macey save.

Ultimately the brilliance of Mavididi would hand Arsenal all three points, with the forward screaming for the ball before racing in on goal and burying a left footed effort with just eight minutes remaining.

The victory means Steve Gatting’s side have their second win of the Premier League 2 season, ahead of league leaders Southampton visiting Meadow Park in October.