Written by Nicholas Edwards
Last night saw the result that Arsenal fans have been waiting quite some time for. The Gunner’s have come up trumps against their main title rivals over the past few seasons but a solid 3-1 win over Chelsea gave fans the Christmas present they had been hoping for.
The first half was an assured Arsenal display. The Gunner’s were strong in possession and (unusually for them) calm and cool when Chelsea had the ball. Djourou and Koscielny kept their positions well and when they had Alex Song floating about in front of them they muted Didier Drogba’s presence. In their attacking play Arsenal were continuously pressing and trying to find that opening.
Walcott started with a sense of trepidation, it was almost as if his nerves were disrupting his game but after Ashley Cole was shown the yellow card Walcott seemed more willing to express himself. Cesc Fabregas seemed to be nearing his full ability again with some good clinical passing.
The first half performance reaped its rewards just before half time when Alex Song took advantage of a crowded Chelsea penalty area and slotted away a low shot past Petr Cech to make it 1-0.
During the fifteen minutes of half time I was left asking myself whether to believe that Arsenal could finally beat Chelsea after such a dismal run of form against them over the past few seasons. Did Arsene Wenger’s men have the mental strength to see the game through or would they crumble as them to have so often in recent years.
The second half started with a bang. Within 8 minutes of the restart Arsenal had scored two fantastic goals thanks to some very, uncharacteristically, sloppy defensive errors by Chelsea.
The first of the two goals saw Theo Walcott latch onto a Chelsea mistake and use his blistering pace to charge at Cech. Walcott then calmly laid the ball on to Fabregas and the Spaniard simply couldn’t miss, passing the ball into the open net. Arsenal were 2-0 up.
Only a few moments later and another Chelsea error, this time the roles were reversed as Fabregas took the advantage and played a perfect through ball for Theo Walcott who moved diagonally into the box and produced a perfect shot to beat Chelsea’s number 1. It’s these sort of goals that Walcott scores that justify his comparisons to Thierry Henry early in his Arsenal career.
Arsenal’s jubilation was quickly quashed however as Didier Drogba’s free kick found the head of Branislav Ivanovic to pull one back for the visitors. Arsenal fans could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu and the way in which the team fell apart against Tottenham earlier in the season would have been racing through their minds.
Arsenal, however, kept their heads and kept playing a strong pressing game that managed to mute Chelsea’s attack and the Gunner’s kept possession well to ensure that the game finished 3-1.
This was an important win for Arsenal and it’s been a long time coming. While Chelsea are certainly going through a terrible run of form nothing can be taken away from the North London side. They played with an assuredness that we’d like to see from them more often. Both their attack and their defensive play was top drawer stuff and they seemed to find that balance that they have lacked for much of the season. More important though was their attitude. They were strong but they didn’t allow their natural game to be compromised. Getting the first goal was so important. Had they gone behind to Chelsea then I fear that the nerves would have set in.
Cesc Fabregas was awarded man of the match but I feel that two other players were more deserving of the recognition. Alex Song had a tremendous game and is really showing himself to be a classy player this season. He balanced his defensive duties with his forward runs and this may be why Arsenal found that perfect rhythm in the game. He scored his fifth goal of the season but also made some important challenges on Drogba and also bullied the Chelsea players in the middle of the park.
The other shining light was Swiss centre half Johan Djourou. He is another player who is proving himself this season and has looked very assured in the games he’s played. Last night he did an excellent job keeping Drogba out of the game and he seemed very dominant in the air.
The debate will once again rage on whether Arsenal are true title contenders. We’re always contenders it’s just that Chelsea and Manchester United seem to possess a certain steel that takes them all the way. Arsenal showed that steel last night, what is of the upmost importance now is that they perform with that level on a consistent basis. If they can do that then there is no reason why they can’t lift the title come May.
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