Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from London Derby
Chelsea restored their five-point lead atop the Premier League table with a 2-0 victory at home to Arsenal on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard and Diego Costa scored in each half as the Blues ended Arsenal's unbeaten start to the season and moved a massive nine points ahead of the Gunners.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho maintained his unbeaten record against Arsene Wenger, and the two were involved in a touchline confrontation in the first half. At full time, the two managers left the pitch without shaking hands.
Here are our winners and losers from Sunday's match.
Winner: Eden Hazard
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Eden Hazard was the game's star performer. The Belgian unlocked Arsenal's defence with a moment of individual brilliance in the first half, leading to the penalty that turned out to be the only goal Chelsea needed.
Until that point, Arsenal had kept Chelsea's attack quiet with an organised display in defence. There was no stopping Hazard, however, as he arrowed through the heart of the Gunners midfield before drawing a penalty. He then finished from the penalty spot with an extraordinarily cool finish.
Unlike last season's corresponding fixture, which Chelsea won 6-0, the home side had to work to break down Arsenal. When an opposing defence is playing well, as Arsenal's did in the first half, the outcome of a match can come down to a moment of individual brilliance. Hazard produced that moment, with Diego Costa's second-half goal sealing the result.
Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express quoted Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as saying:
"(Hazard's performance was) good, very good. In the way I didn't like it against Villa, today I liked it very, very much.
In these matches you need one of your top players to take some magic cards out of his pocket. Hazard did it when it was 0-0.
"
Loser: Arsenal's Title Challenge
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Arsenal entered Sunday's match with momentum after defeating Galatasaray decisively in the UEFA Champions League. After losing to Chelsea, though, Arsenal are nine points off the pace.
Through seven matches, the Gunners have won only twice, drawing four times and collecting 10 points. According to Orbinho, that translates to Arsenal's second-worst start to a league season under Arsene Wenger.
Thirty-one matches remain in the Premier League season, and yet Arsenal's title challenge already feels finished. Plenty of time remains, and a nine-point deficit is not insurmountable this early in the season.
Yet Chelsea were the better side in every facet of Sunday's match. That suggests Arsenal remain far from a true title challenge.
Winner: Jose Mourinho
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Jose Mourinho has managed against Arsene Wenger on 12 occasions, winning seven, drawing five and losing none.
For whatever reason—and there appear to be many—Mourinho has a clear psychological advantage on his counterpart.
After Sunday's match, during which Mourinho again got the better of Wenger, the balance of power appears set in stone.
Loser: Arsene Wenger
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Arsene Wenger deserves some praise for the way his side played Sunday, despite the result. But all factors considered, the Arsenal manager still finishes as a loser.
Having suffered an embarrassing 6-0 defeat the last time Arsenal visited Chelsea, Wenger took a more cautious approach this time. The Gunners played tight defence in the early stages, refusing to fall behind too quickly, as was the case last time.
After so many poor results against top sides, Arsenal's caution was commendable. The strategy seemed to be paying dividends as well, with the match scoreless midway through the first half. But Eden Hazard's brilliant dribble broke down the Gunners' resistance and resulted in the opening goal.
In addition to the more cautious approach, Arsenal were also prepared physically for this match. Uncharacteristically for a Wenger side, the Gunners took a confrontational approach, matching Chelsea physically and refusing to be bullied out of the match, as so often happens.
It seemed a conscious choice sent straight from the top. Following a poor challenge by Chelsea's Gary Cahill, Wenger confronted Jose Mourinho along the touchline, even shoving the Chelsea manager in frustration.
Asked whether he regretted the touchline confrontation, Wenger said no. According to Daniel Taylor of The Guardian, Wenger said: "What is there to regret? I wanted to go from A to B and someone confronted me without any sign of welcome."
The message, therefore, was clear. Arsenal and Wenger had come to fight, even if it meant coming dangerously close to losing their composure.
Yet Arsenal still lost the match by two goals to a clearly superior side. Chelsea's stars made the difference, while Arsenal's were ineffective.
At full time, there was no question which team was better. For all the improvement in Arsenal's performance compared to their last trip to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were still better. After a summer that was supposed to be a breakthrough in the transfer market for Arsenal, that is immensely disappointing to the club's supporters.
On Sunday, Wenger and Arsenal brought the fight. But they did not bring enough quality. Both manager and team must improve.
Loser: Arsenal's Defensive Depth
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Arsenal's defence was already thin, following a relative lack of summer signings and Mathieu Debuchy's long-term injury. Now the unit will be tested even further.
In the first half against Chelsea, Calum Chambers drew his fifth booking of the season, which means he will miss Arsenal's next match. Already short of defensive options, the Gunners will have to make due with limited defensive resources when Hull visit on Oct. 18.
Chambers has performed well for Arsenal this season, covering multiple positions admirably in spite of his relative inexperience. His absence will hurt his side in two weeks' time.
Winner: Chelsea's Star Power
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Chelsea's star attacking players made the difference Sunday. Arsenal's, for the most part, did not show up.
Eden Hazard created the first goal with individual brilliance, breaking down Arsenal's defence with superb dribbling before putting away a brilliant penalty.
In the second half, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa combined once again for Chelsea's second goal, which sealed the points. Fabregas, facing his former club for the first time, played a precise ball over the top for Costa, who outran Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker with ease before lifting his finish over Wojciech Szczesny.
It was Costa's ninth goal of the young season, and Fabregas' seventh Premier League assist. As of this early point in the campaign, English football has seen no better attacking combination.
With those two moments of attacking prowess, Chelsea had the only two goals they would need. As multiple commentators noted via Twitter, the second goal was of the highest quality.
Arsenal were unable to match Chelsea in any facet of the contest, especially in the attack. Mesut Ozil again disappointed, while John Terry and Gary Cahill kept Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck mostly quiet.
"Arsenal are a good side, but Chelsea stronger in all departments." Oliver Holt tweeted.
Only Jack Wilshere excelled for Arsenal, but not nearly enough to sway the game: In the end, Arsenal failed to produce a single shot on target
Loser: Martin Atkinson
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Referee Martin Atkinson made a number of poor decisions. Those decisions did not affect the outcome of the match, but he should have performed better regardless.
Chelsea's Gary Cahill should have drawn a red card for a poor tackle in the first half. Instead, he received a yellow.
Arsenal's Danny Welbeck deserved a red card for a nasty, two-footed lunge on Cesc Fabregas in the closing moments. He received a yellow.
In addition, Arsenal's Calum Chambers easily could have received a second booking late in the first half for a foul on Andre Schurrle just outside the Gunners' box, and Laurent Koscielny could have seen a red—again instead of a yellow—for conceding the first-half penalty to Eden Hazard.
At the other end, Atkinson should have awarded Arsenal a second-half penalty when Fabregas handled inside Chelsea's box.
Finally, Arsene Wenger was fortunate to remain on the touchline after shoving Jose Mourinho. The Arsenal boss could draw a suspension for his actions.
Atkinson did enough to infuriate both sets of supporters. His only consistency, in fact, was his inconsistent application of the rules.
