Arsenal FC ended a long-standing hoodoo last night as they claimed an emphatic and priceless win over their title and city rivals Chelsea by beating them 3-1 at the Emirates.
The win sees the Gunners end a barren run of 11 games without a win against Chelsea and United in which they could only draw one.
The last time Arsenal beat Chelsea was back in march 2008 and since then it has been misery in overdrive for the Gunners with Drogba being the tormentor in chief scoring on every occasion he played against the Gunners and notching up 13 goals from 13 games
in the process.
Ahead of the game at Emirates last night Arsene Wenger said that it was privy to Arsenal’s chances that they stop this goal-scoring beast if they are to harbour any hopes of winning the game.
Cesc Fabregas had said before the match that his team lacked mental strength against big teams and that is the main reason for his young gunners to bottle every opportunity.
But last night there were no such nerves shown by the young gunners as they clinically dispatched the champion of by a convincing margin.
Arsene Wenger played a master stroke even before kick off when he name Johan Djourou in the centre of his team’s defence alongside Koscielny to try and stop Didier Drogba and the decision paid dividends as the two centre backs accomplished the task at hand
with remarkable ease.
Arsenal have never had any problems in any part of the pitch during the current season but it is their centre back pairing of Squillaci and Koscielny that has looked dodgy in recent games but once that issue was addressed Arsenal looked like the Arsenal
of old times.
Chelsea restored Frank Lampard to his starting line-up but although influential he may be but 4 months on the sidelines had taken the toll on him and the England international looked rusty at best while his counterpart Cesc Fabregas pulled the strings masterfully
in the midfield.
Theo Walcott was also given a start by his manager and the electric winger did not disappoint as his pace and power kept Ashley Cole’s forward ventures to a bare minimum while he also caused severe problems going forward.
Walcott accounted for a goal and an assist before being substituted by Abou Diaby but the damage had been done by then, as Arsenal looked to be cruising at 3-1.
Perhaps it was a tactical masterstroke by Wenger, getting all his cards right on a night when a win was absolutely vital.
After the win Wenger was full of praise for his youngsters and feels that this win will prove to be exact psychological boost that his side needed in this season’s title race.
"The win had a double impact. It keeps us in touch with the leaders. It is also the psychological impact because we were questioned about our ability to win big games," Wenger said.
Wenger’s men have now amassed 35 points from a tally of 18 games in the season and currently stand just two points behind the unbeaten league leaders Manchester United, but have played a game more. Chelsea they are terribly off the pace being 6 points behind
United.
Wenger was rightfully elated after his team’s win last night as he feels that his youngsters have finally managed to get the monkey off their back with a deserved win and the three points they secured last night have propelled them right back in the title
race.
The season looks to be tight as ever but Arsenal have made it clear to all and sundry that they are right in the midst of things.
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