Arsenal are in a Premier League title race, and Gunners fans are hanging on every remaining fixture, every possible point, and every single opponent as they look to fend off defending champions Manchester City.
A key battle in the path to a first league title since 2004 will be a home match against Chelsea, a London derby that provides equal parts danger and opportunity.
The Blues have sputtered all season in league play, languishing in the middle of the Premier League table. Yet they present significant talent in their squad, and Arsenal will need to bring their best to secure all three points.
Fans will notice the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match has been moved from its original date to a Tuesday night. The Sporting News has all the details on the rearranged fixture.
MORE: Updated Premier League table for 2022/23 season with snapshots of every race
When is Arsenal vs Chelsea? London derby rescheduled
Originally slated for Saturday, April 29, the Premier League has officially moved the fixture a few days later to a new date of Tuesday, May 2.
The match will kick off at 8 p.m. local GMT (3 p.m. ET on May 2 / 5 a.m. AEST on May 3), which is the usual kickoff time for weekday games.
At this point, matches at other London venues on that April 29 date, including at Fulham, Brentford, and Crystal Palace have not been moved.
Why was Arsenal vs Chelsea moved?
The coronation of King Charles, which will take place four days later on Saturday, May 6, represents a significant lift for the London police force.
With many on the force required to work on the weekend of May 6, that means many officers will not be working the weekend before (April 29-30), some requesting time off on that weekend. That will leave the London police force stretched in light of the reduced resources.
That situation has led the Metropolitan Police to request the match date to be switched given the shortage of police staffing on April 29-30 in London. The league obliged and shifted the April 29 Arsenal vs. Chelsea fixture to midweek.
Arsenal released a statement confirming the move and expressing frustration at the late decision, which will leave those who have booked travel plans scrambling to adjust at their own cost..
"The Premier League has announced that our home league match against Chelsea will now take place on Tuesday, May 2, kicking off at 8pm (UK time). This change has been made as a result of the Metropolitan Police revising its position on policing the match.
"After working to try to find a solution with the Met Police, we are very disappointed with the impact and disruption this fixture change will cause to our supporters, particularly after this match had been initially approved for a Saturday evening kick-off."
The Chelsea supporters' trust had a similar feeling about the move, and criticised the decision in a statement. "More disruption for fans and not the first time this season the authorities have shown such little regard for match-going supporters," the statement read.
Arsenal v Chelsea has been postponed & re-arranged with 18 days notice.
— Chelsea Supporters’ Trust⭐️⭐️ (@ChelseaSTrust) April 11, 2023
A joint statement from the @ChelseaSTrust & @AST_arsenal. pic.twitter.com/SWqVWyq7Af
Police hit back at criticism
With supporters on both sides critical of the move due to the inconvenience, added costs, and late notice, the Metropolitan Police later clarified their position.
In a statement to Mirror Sport, police officials said they raised concerns back on February 2 about the later 5:30 p.m. local kickoff time on April 29 bringing with it "a higher risk of crime, anti-social behaviour and disorder."
The police's request to the home team (Arsenal) and the Premier League was for an earlier kickoff on the same day (April 29), not a change of date.
However, the issue dragged on and was only resolved on March 31. The police's request for a kickoff time change on April 29 was rejected, and the match was instead moved to Tuesday, May 2.
Could Arsenal win Premier League title vs Chelsea?
Arsenal currently hold a six-point lead over Manchester City with eight matches to play, but the Gunners have played one extra match, so City hold a game in hand.
By the time the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match is completed on May 2, there will only be four matches remaining in the Gunners' season.
Depending on the Arsenal and Man City results leading into that May 2 match — plus, there's a massive April 26 head-to-head between the two title rivals at the Etihad — the Gunners could theoretically be up by as many as 15 points entering that showdown against Chelsea.
But Manchester City would also presumably have two matches in hand to be made up (vs. Brighton and vs. West Ham), meaning they would still have a chance to cut into Arsenal's lead.
Despite being unable to mathematically win the title against Chelsea, a win over their London derby rivals on May 2 on top of a potential double-digit lead would all but clinch their long-awaited Premier League title.
