Arsenal Overcome Fears To Beat Arch-Rivals Chelsea, 3-1

It wasn’t long ago when people were saying Arsenal feared the bigger teams. In fact, even team captain Cesc Fabregas came out with a similar statement, confirming the existing psychological complex.

Just two victories from 18 encounters with Chelsea flashed a warning of trouble in the ranks of Arsenal when facing the Blues.  

But sometimes you have to stand up, look at yourself in the mirror and decide whether you want to run away for another day or just put an end to it right there.

This is what Arsenal did at the Emirates in their most recent clash against Chelsea.

They stood up, faced their fears and tasted victory with rejuvenating potential. Not only did they discover they could win against big teams, but they reached the second position in the Premier League, and practically are the only team poses threat to Manchester United for the title.

The first half-hour was a tactical game of cat and mouse. With a lowered tempo, both teams constantly groped for their opposition’s weak spots. The battle was mainly fought in the middle of the park and as the end of the first half edged nearer, Arsenal looked like the probable winners.

And it paid out just a minute away from the halftime whistle. Jack Wilshere, a great performer so far, received the ball on the edge of the box and nudged it towards Song, who attempted to control it but couldn't. Instead, it rebounded off one of the many bodies inside the box and, luckily for Song, found its way back to him. From a narrow angle, the Cameroonian made his fourth goal of the season.

Despite leading 1-0 before the break, many Arsenal fans abstained from reaction. It has not been once or twice for Arsenal to lose after leading in the first half.

This time, it was a case of “Let’s wait and see” rather than “With the way they play, they will surely win.”

All doubts were shattered to pieces ten minutes deep into the second half.

First, Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas took full advantage of an ill-judged clearance by Michael Essien which resulted in the latter of the two scoring in front of an empty net.

Just four minutes later, a similar mistake by the Chelsea defenders released Theo Walcott yet again. The pacy winger found little trouble in placing the ball in the lower left corner for a three-goal lead to Arsenal.

It looked like the three points were already in Arsenal’s bag, but Branislav Ivanovic disagreed with a goal of his own, which reinstated some confidence into his team-mates.

The goal invigorated Chelsea, and they launched themselves forward to snatch those points back from Arsenal’s bag in the remaining 30 minutes. They were close for a couple of times, but so were Arsenal.

In the end, the home team were better and it finished 3-1.

The smile on Arsene Wenger’s face at the end said it all: three important points, a major psychological injection of self-believe and a message to Manchester United and Nani.