Yaya Toure says Arsenal miss 'brilliant' star after Chelsea win

Yaya Toure after Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea (Picture: Sky Sports)

Yaya Toure wants to ‘see more’ from title-chasing Arsenal and believes the Premier League leaders are missing ‘brilliant’ captain Martin Odegaard .

Arsenal continued their Premier League title charge with a hard-fought 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea on Sunday .

Jurrien Timber headed home Arsenal’s second-half winner after a Piero Hincapie own goal cancelled out William Saliba ’s opener at the Emirates Stadium.

The victory restored Arsenal’s five-point lead in the title race after second-placed Manchester City beat Leeds United 1-0 earlier in the weekend .

Despite beating Club World Cup champions Chelsea, Arsenal’s performance left Man City legend Toure slightly underwhelmed.

Toure said he wanted Arsenal’s players to be ‘more open’ and free as they chase a long-awaited title but acknowledged the team were ‘missing’ influential captain Odegaard.

Odegaard missed Arsenal’s win over Chelsea with a niggle and has not started any of the club’s last nine games in all competitions, partly because of injury but also partly due to a lack of form and the emergence of other players like £67.5m summer signing Eberechi Eze .

Martin Odegaard missed Arsenal vs Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

Still, Toure – who won three Premier League titles at Man City – believes Odegaard is a ‘huge miss’ for an Arsenal side bidding to win their first league title in 22 years.

Discussing Arsenal’s form and the title race after they beat Chelsea, Toure said on Sky Sports : ‘Man City are coming back well. Arsenal were doing well from the start of the season but they dropped a few points.

‘Those results might keep them a bit of doubt if I’m being honest because I didn’t see the players expressing themselves.

Arsenal beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium (Picture: Getty)

‘You have to understand as well that Martin Odegaard, the captain, is a brilliant player and for me he’s a huge miss. He plays between the lines, he moves very well, I love this type of player.

‘You can be worried about making mistakes at this stage of the season because it can cost the team but I want to see the players be more open.’

Toure added: ‘The first half was okay, it was okay. But I feel a bit disappointed because we want to see attacks and chances but we only saw three goals from set-pieces.

Patrick Vieira believes that if Arsenal win the league this season, they'll continue to win it over the next couple of years…👀 pic.twitter.com/iiXSzT89V6 — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2026

‘For a derby it’s strange. Winning today was obviously very important for Arsenal but as a fan I want to see more.’

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira was also somewhat surprisingly ‘disappointed’ by his former club’s performance in the win over Chelsea.

‘I think from the Arsenal point of view what really matters is the three points,’ he said. ‘It is really important for them.

Mikel Arteta wants to guide Arsenal to the title (Picture: Getty)

‘When you look at the game a bit deeper, scoring from set-plays, the game was more open than we expected. You would expect Arsenal to go a little more forward.

‘Chelsea were organised well defensively which stopped Arsenal from creating chances. When you are top of the Champions League table, top of the Premier League table, in the final of a cup, the expectation is higher.

‘You expect more from this Arsenal. I am a little bit disappointed but what matters is to win. It’s not about the style because I think the style can be down to the fact they haven’t won the title in so long.

‘There could be a little desperation and stress because they want to do so well that you are not taking the risks you are at the start of the season.

‘Looking at where they are, a little bit of nervousness and pressure can have an impact on these games. I believe there is enough experience, quality, personality, to go on the field and win the game.’

Arsenal continue their Premier League title charge on Wednesday night against Brighton, who have won two games in a row following a poor run.

Brighton won at Brentford last weekend before beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday to close in on the top-half of the Premier League.