Arsenal Premier League Player Ratings vs. Chelsea

It’s the same story Arsenal fans have become accustomed to: When Arsenal encounter Chelsea, it is the Gunners who usually dazzle with the ball whilst the Champions score the goals and conquer.

In a thrilling, enjoyable clash, Didier Drogba was once again a thorn in the Arsenal defense as the Ivorian netted Chelsea first just before half time. Defender Alex put the encounter to bed with a powerful free kick with just over 10 minutes to go.

Arsene Wenger’s men can be considered unlucky, not to find the score sheet having created numerous chances, but in failing to capitalize. However, the Gunners never looked comfortable or likely to conjure up a surprise victory.

As expected, Chelsea’s power upfront was a consistent threat causing problems for the Arsenal back four. Carlo Ancelotti’s men moved comfortably and always looked in control despite Arsenal's long periods of possession dominance.

The successive losses for Wenger ensure that Chelsea take a four-point lead at the penthouse of the ladder whilst Arsenal drops to fourth behind Manchester United and Manchester City.

Player Ratings

Lukasz Fabianski, 7.5: A highly-impressive performance from the much-maligned Polish shot-stopper. For once Fabianski dominated the air, looking comfortable off crosses and corners. Made some neat saves and can be commended on a strong performance.

Bacary Sagna, 6.5: A Tireless worker who made a number of strong challenges and deserves credit for effectively keeping Florent Malouda relatively quiet throughout the encounter. However, he was caught out of position on occasion.

Sebastien Squillaci, 5: Summed up Arsenal's current leadership options and injury woes as the new Frenchman donned the captain's armband. Sadly, he was unable to lead from the front as Squillaci was completely dominated by Drogba and was guilty of some poor clearances.

Laurent Koscienly, 6.5: Solid and impressive, coped well with Drogba’s physicality and Nicholas Anelka’s pace. The Frenchman was also strong in the air but was guilty of wasting a golden chance early on.

Gael Clichy, 6:  Lapses in concentration were evident but the veteran left back had an assured performance, keeping Anelka’s contribution to a bare minimum.

Alexandre Song, 6: Worked vividly as the defensive midfielder and was also a handy contributor in attack.

Jack Wilshere, 7: Played with overwhelming confidence as he glided past defenders with the ball. The teenage sensation was also unafraid to make himself present defensively.

Samir Nasri, 7: Loomed as Arsenal's greatest threat to the Chelsea goal and was unlucky not to find the score sheet. Can be commended on his work ethic in attack alongside his attempt to emulate Fabregas, but was guilty of some wayward passes.

Abou Diaby, 6: The imposing Frenchman’s long legs were threatening at times, but faded in and out of the game too often. He was solid when push came to shove.

Andrei Arshavin, 6: Yo-yo like as usual from the Russian magician. Threatened greatly early on but drifted in an out of the clash and was often too lazy on defense and on the ball.

Marouane Chamakh, 6: Needed to work that much harder on attack, although the Moroccan did cope well with the Chelsea defense. Can be considered wasteful with his attacking headers as there were two clear-cut chances the Arsenal big man failed to slay.

Substitutes

Tomas Rosicky, 6: Injected some spark but to no reward.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 6: The young gun showed great promise in a short 10-minute cameo.