Wenger hungry for more after ending Chelsea hoodoo
SANCHEZ, WALCOTT, OZIL HELP END 9-MATCH DROUGHT AGAINST RIVALS
rsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he was hungrier than ever for success after his side marked the 20th anniversary of his appointment by stylishly defeating Chelsea 3-0.
First-half goals from Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday swept Arsenal to a first league victory over their London rivals in 10 encounters.
It was Arsenal’s biggest win over Chelsea since a 3-0 victory in Wenger’s first meeting with them in April 1997 and the 66-year-old said he was now even more eager for success than when he arrived.
“I’m hungrier because I know I have not got 20 more years in front of me,” smiled Wenger, whose team rose to third place in the Premier League table.
Wenger felt his side’s football had been “nearly perfect” in the first half and said their overall display was “one of our best performances of recent years”.
Chelsea have held something of a hoodoo over Arsenal in recent times.
Sanchez’s 11th-minute goal, after a mistake by Gary Cahill, was the first league goal Arsenal had scored against Chelsea since January 2013.
Chelsea dealt Wenger a humbling 6-0 defeat in his 1,000th
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3 1 5 4 1 1 2 1 Chelsea 0 Everton 0 Hull 1 Leicester 1 Tottenham 2 West Brom 1 C’stal Palace 3 Man City 3 Burnley v Watford (1900 GMT) game at the Arsenal helm in March 2014 and he said Saturday’s win could mark an important mental breakthrough.
Inconvenient facts
“We had to deal with some inconvenient facts before the game. They were we couldn’t beat Chelsea for years,” said the Frenchman, whose side host Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday. The one black spot for Wenger was a first-half knee injury sustained by Francis Coquelin.
The French midfielder, who was replaced by Granit Xhaka, left the stadium with his leg in a brace and will undergo tests in the coming days.
Chelsea have gone three league games without victory and while beaten manager Antonio Conte refused to single out individuals for blame, he had strong words of criticism for his team. “Now we are a great team only on paper, not on the pitch,” said the Italian.
“To be a great team, I prefer to be a great team not only on paper but also on the pitch. The pitch is the truth. The pitch speaks.”
Chelsea switched to a back three early in the second half — Conte’s preferred defensive configuration with Juventus and Italy — and he said he would urgently address their problems at the back. “I have to solve the situation,” he said.