ARSENAL 3 CHELSEA 1
by Ricky Butler at The Emirates
Arsenal piled more pressure on Carlo Ancelotti as three goals in a devastating nine minute spell either side of the break saw the Gunners re-ignite their title charge in emphatic style at The Emirates last night.
Having lost the previous five meetings between the sides, Arsene Wenger had stated how important it was for his team to put in a big performance against one of their title rivals, and his young guns did not disappoint.
With the threat of Didier Drogba looming large the Gunners boss added the physical presence of Swiss international Johan Djourou to his defence in a bid to nullify the Ivorian and it could not have worked out any better.
Apart from an early chance, where the Chelsea front man dragged a shot wide from the edge of the area after just seven minutes, he never looked like adding to his 13 goals against Wenger's side and they were finally able to end the champions hoodoo over them.
After a low-key opening 20 minutes, in which both sides appeared weighed down by the tension of the occasion, Arsenal soon grabbed the initiative. Samir Nasri was inches away from breaking the deadlock five minutes before the interval with an audacious chip from the edge of the area that Petr Cech was only just able to tip over the bar with a strong left hand. But the Gunners did get the reward they deserved in the final minute of the half.
Alex Song played the ball into Jack Wilshere just inside the Chelsea penalty area and he in turn rolled it into the path of the rampaging Cesc Fabregas. The Arsenal skipper appeared to be pulled down by Branislav Ivanovic as he was about to burst clear but referee Mark Clattenberg allowed play to continue and Song was able to sweep the ball past Cech with an emphatic left footed finish from 15 yards.
Just like at Tottenham a fortnight earlier, Ancelotti made a change at the break - with Ramires again replacing the ineffective John-Obi Mikel - but it was the Gunners who took control at the start of the second period.
Wenger had said how important the opening goal would be and he was proved right as Arsenal scored twice more in quick succession within seven minutes of the restart, although the Blues were the architects of their own downfall.
Michael Essien was forced into a mistake by Robin van Persie, recalled to the starting line up in place of Marouane Chamakh, and Theo Walcott found himself one-on-one with Cech. The England winger could probably have gone for goal himself but he unselfishly squared the ball for Fabregas to roll into the empty net instead.
Two minutes later it was game over. Walcott robbed Flaurent Malouda on half way and Fabregas returned the compliment with a neat ball over the top for the 21-year old to drill first time into the far corner of the net.
It was looking set to be a rout at this stage as the champions were all over the place but the Gunners defensive frailties reared their head again just seven minutes later. Drogba floated an inviting free kick into the Gunners six-yard box and Ivanovic got the wrong side of Laurent Koscienly to head past Lukasz Fabianski from close range.
With more then half an hour still to play there was plenty of time for the visitors to get back into it but Arsenal never really looked in trouble after that and Nasri should have made it safe for them in the 68th minute.
Substitute Gael Kakuta's weak back header only presented the ball to the in-form Frenchman but his attempted flick lacked the necessary power and Cech was able to save with ease.
So, after a long wait to beat one of the big two at home, Wenger was understandably full of praise for his young side. '"It was a disciplined and mature performance against a good Chelsea team. They worked for each other for the entire 90 minutes and we always looked sharp and determined to get the job done." he said.
Meanwhile Ancelotti was damning of his own sides efforts. He said: "We need to wake up as were sleeping on occasions. It is difficult to understand what has gone wrong but we need to change our attitude immediately. It was a good response from us at 3-0 but it was not good enough."
Roman Abramovich is not known for his patience and with Chelsea now outside the top four the future of the Italian at Stamford Bridge is now hanging very much in the balance.
In contrast, things could not be better at The Emirates. A late Birmingham equaliser against Manchester United means the Gunners will go level on points at the top should they win at Wigan tomorrow night and with a Carling Cup semi final to come in the New Year, maybe that long wait for some silverware is about to be over.
ARSENAL; Fabianski 7, Sagna 8, Koscienly 6, Djourou 9, Clichy 7, Song 8, Fabregas 8 (Rosicky 88mins 6), Nasri 7, Walcott 8 (Diaby 73mins 7), van Persie 8 (Chamakh 76mins 7), Wilshere 8.
CHELSEA; Cech 7, Ferreira 6 (Boswinga 60mins 6), Ivanovic 6, Terry 6, Cole 6, Essien 5, Mikel 4 (Ramires 46mins 6), Lampard 6, Kalou 5, Drogba 5, Malouda 5 (Kakuta 56mins 6).
REFEREE; Mark Clattenberg 7
ATTENDANCE; 60,112
No comments:
Post a Comment