Gunners lose fiery derby

Arsene Wenger’s winless league run against Jose Mourinho continued after his nine-man side left Stamford Bridge on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat.

Arsenal played some encouraging football at times during the game but their hopes were all but ended following Gabriel’s dismissal just before half-time.

A second dismissal followed in the second half when Santi Cazorla was given his marching orders either side of goals from Chelsea duo Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard.

It could’ve been a different game had Gabriel stayed on or whether Chelsea striker Diego Costa had been dismissed moments earlier, but that doesn’t disguise the fact it was a very disappointing result for the Gunners.

It begs the question as to why Wenger cannot seem to beat Mourinho in the league? Is it because Wenger has not been active enough in the transfer market? Is Mourinho simply a better manager? Is there a mental block within the club when the two clubs meet? Or is it simply bad luck? It could be a combination of all of these but what remains certain is that our inability to beat Chelsea in the league is getting more and more frustrating after each meeting.

At the end of the weekend Arsenal are just outside the top four in 5th position, with Chelsea all the way down in 13th, but it was still the Blues who will be the happier after the result.

Former Gunner Cesc Fabregas tried his luck with a long-range strike after seven minutes but Petr Cech, on his first return to Stamford Bridge following his summer move, was equal to his effort. The goalkeeper also had to be alert to deny Costa in the first half.

Arsenal were showing no fear against their opponents but should’ve done better when Alexis Sanchez spun away from his man and dragged a shot wide.

The Gunners continued to push forward and Mesut Ozil released Theo Walcott in the box before the England striker forced a save out of Asmir Begovic in the home goal.

The moment that totally changed the complexion of the game arrived in the final minute of the half. Costa pushed Koscielny in the face before barging him to the ground soon after, but the Spanish forward’s actions were only deemed worthy of a yellow card.

Gabriel got involved in an altercation with Costa, initially causing a yellow card, but that soon turned to red after the former was accused of kicking out at the Chelsea man. Although Gabriel acted foolishly, Costa really should have, in my opinion, been sent off as well.

The second half should have resumed with both teams having the same number of players but, with Costa still on the pitch, the hosts had a clear numerical advantage.

Although Arsenal were a man down, they could have taken the lead in the early stages of the second half had Sanchez’s free-kick not deflected wide for a corner.

But it was Chelsea who broke the deadlock via the head of Zouma after 53 minutes. Fabregas’ free-kick was headed home by the unmarked French defender for his first ever Premier League goal.

Chelsea pushed for a second goal but Cech did superbly well to parry Hazard’s effort

Arsenal tried to get back into the game and had a great chance to level when a long ball from Aaron Ramsey was misjudged by Zouma and Gary Cahill, leaving Sanchez with a great chance in the box. But the Chilean failed to get enough of a connection on the ball and sent his effort harmlessly off target.

Hazard and Pedro both failed to trouble Cech to keep Arsenal in the game but the Gunners’ task got even harder when Cazorla, who had earlier been booked for a challenge on Pedro, received a second yellow for his foul on Fabregas 12 minutes from time.

Chelsea sealed all three points in stoppage time when Hazard’s strike took a hefty deflection off Calum Chambers to wrong-foot Cech.

OPPOSTION’S VIEW
Chelsea are having a mixed season but, whilst they got a great result against the Gunners, they are still down in the bottom half of the table.

Charlotte Norman, who follows her beloved Blues all the way from Australia, was pleased with the result but disappointed with the actions of Costa.

“It is great to see Chelsea slowly getting back to form. The Champions League win earlier in the week gave them the confidence boost they needed, albeit maybe a little too much for some,” said Norman.

“Costa’s actions were deplorable. He needs to focus on his football and not being a dirty player, hitting other players. Not impressed. That said, Gabriel definitely deserved a sending off. It should’ve been a penalty and a yellow for the way he handled Hazard in the box earlier.

“Apart from the red cards we deserved the win from the first-half performance alone. It was good to see the Chelsea we know and love making a comeback from that dismal start to the season. The big difference was having Oscar and Ramires starting.”

Norman paid tribute to former player Cech and was delighted to see him get a largely positive reception.

“Aside from the result, it was great to see Cech get a great reception at the Bridge regardless of him playing for a rival,” added Norman.

“Chelsea fans have the utmost respect for what he did for the club and he is a CFC legend. However, I’m definitely happy to see that we put a few past the giant!”

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
I believe that had Costa also been sent off the second half would’ve been a totally different game to the one we ended up with. Costa’s pushes on Koscielny and the subsequent barging him over warranted a dismissal but the red card never came.

Whilst this left a feeling of injustice we also can’t fully blame it for the defeat. The defending for the opening goal, albeit with a man down, was inexcusable and we should also have done better with our chances in attack.

There were positives before the red card but there seemed no way back after it. We need a big response in our next game – a trip to bitter rivals Tottenham in the League Cup. It may not be the most important of trophies but nothing other than victory will be acceptable in the derby clash.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS