Arsenal vs Chelsea
Saturday’s early kick off saw Chelsea get back on track with a solid performance against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. A headed goal from man of the match Kurt Zouma put Chelsea in front after Arsenal had seen Gabriel sent off at the end of the first half. Another Arsenal red for Santi Cazorla, nullified Arsenal’s depleted attack even more so late in the second half which Chelsea eventually capitalised on in extra time with a deflected goal from Eden Hazard. Mourinho will be happy with his team’s performance and their determination to win here was clear to see as the Blues held the majority of possession in Arsenal’s half.
Arsenal looked dangerous early on, with Walcott their danger man, but the Englishman continually found himself called offside. As the half went on, Chelsea gained confidence with some neat passages of play within Arsenal’s half but were struggling for the final ball. At times, Chelsea could be found guilty of playing too much around the box, having too many touches and not enough penetration. A goal required a little bit more precision and although we looked more likely, our recent confidence dip was seeing us struggle to find the breakthrough. It seemed like the game required someone to take it by the scruff of the neck and Diego Costa decided to do just that.
With Chelsea on the ascendancy, Diego Costa, in what is either a stroke of genius or a moment of madness, got involved in a flurry of incidents with the Arsenal back four. In footballing matters, his much improved movement had the likes of Koscielny and Gabriel alert and aware without really affecting the backline. It seemed Costa was ready to get them a little more rattled and unnerved and did so with flailing arms, aerial battles and aggressive challenges. He was playing a dangerous game, but this is Costa’s game, his territory, he is at complete ease when it comes to teetering the fine line between aggression and violence, at times getting incredibly lucky to be on the pitch. Though for all Costa’s petulance and provocations, which has surprisingly not seen him sent od in a league game since 2010, opposing players play straight into his hands allowing themselves to get caught up in his mind games. Arsenal fans will protest that Gabriel did nothing wrong, but it is precisely his inability to walk away that saw the altercation between himself and Diego escalate in him naively kicking out under the nose of referee Mike Dean. Costa had won, had one up on Arsenal and could be said to have single-handedly got the Arsenal defender two yellow cards in a matter of minutes.
Having already become less and less influential on the game, and now with a man down and feeling aggrieved, Arsenal had it all to do in the second half to ensure Chelsea didn’t capitalise on their misfortune. However Kurt Zouma saw to the inevitable. The 20 year old Frenchman, preferred by Mourinho for Chelsea captain John Terry, validated his manager’s decision by scoring the opener. A beautifully delivered Fabregas freekick whipped towards the back post, evaded everyone in the box to meet the head of the towering oncoming defender. With the ball squeezing past beneath former Chelsea player and legend, Petr Cech, Zouma, who had played fantastically well all game, showing real maturity and responsibility, restored Chelsea belief and authority with his goal.
Arsene Wenger waited a while for his team to settle and boldly brought on attacking options to try and snatch an equaliser. However a second yellow to Santi Cazorla unexpectedly saw the Gunners down to nine men with ten minutes to go. A late goal for Eden Hazard in the 91st minute sured up an already guaranteed win. A wicked deflection off Calum Chambers gifted the Belgian his first goal of the season and will provide him much needed confidence, especially after the penalty miss midweek against Maccabi Tel Aviv. The final whistle ended what was a dramatic and feisty game, seeing London painted blue once again. Chelsea had a much improved performance showing the resilience that made us champions and restoring the belief that all may not be lost just yet.
An all round team performance that makes it difficult to pick out a man of the match will have Mourinho satisfied that all is moving in the right direction. Notable mentions include Oscar, who returned to Premier League action against Arsenal. The Brazilian displayed his importance in the number 10 role, for all those who easily forget and believe he is dispensable in order to acquire a particular Frenchman. His pressing and defensive responsibility for a player in his position is a real asset especially in games like this and his ability allows for quicker and a better quality link up play. Fabregas is showing signs of rediscovering his majestic form. With an assist and goal midweek in the Champions League he followed it up with another assist for the breakthrough goal against his former club and figured heavily in Chelsea’s play. Costa, ignoring his petulance and risky behaviour, was immense. He is a real warrior for Chelsea, refusing to back down, rattled and unnerved Arsenal. Whatever anyone says about him, Arsene Wenger in particular, there is no doubt Arsenal would love a player like Costa in their team; someone who will fight for the cause whatever it takes. Zouma was immense. The young defender continues to impress the Stamford Bridge faithful. His pace and height is an asset but what is rarely mentioned is that he incredibly mature as a defender that at such a young age will see him figure at the heart of Chelsea’s defence for years to come. The team defended well collectively and this allowed them to build from there.
Chelsea needed this win, not solely to gain bragging rights over Arsenal but to attempt to salvage their season. This crucial victory will restore confidence in all of the team and Mourinho, his staff and the whole of Chelsea Football Club will enjoy the week that has summated in the reappearance of some form. Mourinho in his post match conference didn’t want to think about the title race preferring instead to state that he will focus on one game at a time. That will not sway the renewed title hopes of overjoyed Chelsea fans who in the meantime will enjoy their team’s victory over their London rivals.
The Blue Daze 
