‘I thought I’d chip him’ – Saka insists his Arsenal wonder goal against Chelsea was a shot not a cross

Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka has revealed that his wonder goal against Chelsea was an intentional finish as opposed to a mishit cross, while revelling in his side’s return to winning ways.

The teenager helped to cap an impressive performance for the under-fire Gunners when he stretched their lead after half-time in their eventual 3-1 derby victory against the Blues on Boxing Day.

Having headed into the half-time break with a comfortable lead thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka, the hosts further cemented their hold just before the hour mark when Saka struck.

The 19-year-old, who turned in an impressive performance at the Emirates Stadium, appeared to float an ambitious cross from the right edge of the penalty area, looking for support near the left post.

Instead, the ball beat Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy and nestled itself firmly into the far-top corner, seemingly catching both Saka and his team-mates off-guard before they wheeled away in celebration.

Speaking after the match, however, Saka claimed that his strike was intentional, and that his finish was an attempt to catch the Senegal international off his line rather than a happy freak occurrence.

“I saw him off his line so I thought I could chip him!” the England international told BBC Sport.

Saka, who made his Three Lions debut against Wales in October and has won four caps to date under Gareth Southgate, acknowledged that a first domestic win since November 1 was just the tonic needed for the beleaguered hosts and boss Mikel Arteta.

“We feel that we are a good team who have been unlucky with results and red cards but this is a big one for our confidence,” he added.

“It’s been tricky, tough, but we have come out of it and we are trying our best. We grew up with each other, the young players all want to play and have the passion for this club. We want to make the fans happy.”

Arsenal will next face a trip to fellow lower-table dwellers Brighton on December 29, before they start the new year against another relegation-threatened side in the shape of West Brom.