The Gunners were in rampant mood that April day in their bid for the title, with Kai Havertz notably rubbing salt in the wounds of his former side after netting a quick-fire brace.
As it proved, that commanding victory - and a run of 16 wins from the last 18 league games of the campaign - were ultimately in vain, with Manchester City running out champions once again by the narrowest of margins.
Fast forward to the present day, and the north London side are again preparing to meet the Stamford Bridge outfit, although this time, their title hopes have already gone up in smoke, with Liverpool having opened up a 15-point lead at the summit.
Arsenal's last ten league finishes (timeless)
After losing to West Ham United and drawing with Nottingham Forest in recent weeks, Mikel Arteta's side have been plunged back into the battle for Champions League qualification, with a positive result needed up against Enzo Maresca's men.
Arsenal team news
It's fair to say that a mitigating factor in Arsenal's failure to launch a sustained title bid has been injuries, a fact emphasised by Arteta lining up with a front three of Kieran Tierney, Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling for the midweek draw against PSV Eindhoven.
That outing did see that man Sterling record two assists in what was arguably his brightest performance since joining the club last summer, although the 30-year-old is unavailable for Sunday's clash against his parent club, having also been ruled out of the first-leg quarter-final tie with Real Madrid due to suspension.
On a positive note, Arteta will have Gabriel Martinelli call upon once again on the flanks, while the 42-year-old did hint that Bukayo Saka is nearing a return to fitness, although today's game will come too soon for the Englishman.
Arsenal's last 10 meetings with Chelsea
Date
Result
10 November 2024
1-1 D
23 April 2024
5-0 W
21 October 2023
2-2 D
02 May 2023
3-1 W
06 November 2022
0-1 W
20 April 2022
2-4 W
22 August 2021
0-2 L
12 May 2021
0-1 W
26 December 2020
3-1 W
01 August 2020 (FA Cup)
2-1 W
With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus
still long-term absentees - alongside Takehiro Tomiyasu - it remains to be seen whether the Gunners boss will persist with Merino as a makeshift number nine, with the Spaniard's only league goals in that role coming against relegation strugglers, Leicester City.
There could be an argument for the former Real Sociedad man to drop into a midfield role, in place of struggling skipper Martin Odegaard, although Arteta could settle on an alternative solution in that creative attacking berth.
How Arsenal can replace Martin Odegaard
There was a time last season when Odegaard looked like the 'best player in the Premier League', as noted by Manchester United's Luke Shaw, having contributed 18 goals and assists in the top flight alone in 2023/24.
While an ankle issue did hamper his impact in the early months of the current campaign, the Norwegian playmaker has been unable to reach such heights again for much of 2024/25, with just two goals and three assists to his name in the league this time around.
It would represent a bold call to drop the club captain to the bench for such a key encounter, yet with Odegaard not delivering at present, it might be time for Oleksandr Zinchenko to earn a chance in the centre of the park on a consistent basis.
Zinchenko-Sterling-Arsenal
The Ukrainian star - who has been linked with an exit this summer - has largely had to watch on for much of this season, with the rise of Myles Lewis-Skelly hampering his involvement at left-back. Indeed, the former Manchester City man has started just two league games this term so far.
Previously described as "absolutely unbelievable" by pundit Armand Traore amid his early impact at the Emirates, the 28-year-old has tumbled down the pecking order since then, representing a potential victim of Arteta's switch to a more pragmatic approach.
It must be said, the one-time Shakhtar Donetsk is not particularly adept defensively, as shown by the fact that he ranks in just the bottom 2% among his European peers for tackles made per 90, although he did illustrate what he can offer creatively, having started the midweek clash.
The versatile talent opened the scoring against the Eredivisie side - for whom he spent time on loan at in 2016/17 - after producing a delightful curling strike from just outside the area.
Martin-Odegaard-Arsenal
The 'star player' on the night, as per the Standard's Simon Collings, Zinchenko has certainly given Arteta something to think about, with it perhaps not the worst decision to keep Odegaard on his toes by retaining Zinchenko in the starting lineup for the visit of the Blues.
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