GUNNERS SLAM THE DOOR THE DOOR
Chelsea repelled by Ospina and Co but there’s more injury woe for Wilshere
By the time this tie is decided, Arsene Wenger will be back where he belongs. this cannot have been the most comfortable evening for him, hustled into the press box, flanked by minders, courtesy of his touchline ban.
Wenger is so experienced at being barred from the dug- out that he even knows his preferred view from the naughty chair here.
he didn’t like the second tier last time — too complicated getting down to the dressing rooms. told the proximity of the team area to the press box, he opted for that instead, taking his place alongside people who had variously told him to quit, stand down or that his era at Arsenal had run its course.
A goalless draw at Chelsea was not the most defiant riposte, but nor was it the white flag some had expected when Arsenal’s best player, Alexis Sanchez, was named on the substitutes’ bench.
the sight of Chelsea’s creative heart, eden hazard, being replaced by tiemoue Bakayoko with 10 minutes to go including stoppage time was therefore a victory of sorts for Wenger; a concession by Antonio Conte that Plan A had failed.
Indeed, while Chelsea had the better chances and the best of the play, this felt like a more pleasing night for Arsenal. Some of the scorelines between these teams in recent years — Chelsea 6 Arsenal 0, Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3, Arsenal 1 Chelsea 4 — wouldould have negated the worthth of a second leg. Instead, ead, going level to a rematch at the he emirates, Arsenal l are right in this.
Much will depend, of course, on the team Wenger is able to field. Will Sanchez be in the pale blue e of Manchester City ty by then; will Jack ck Wilshere be fit having ving left the field injuredd after 57 minutes here? he walked off, which we might take as a good sign had Wilshere not once announced he was fine after completing 59 minutes of an england friendly against Denmark, only to discover he had a fractured left foot. you never know with him.
here, he suffered a problem with his left ankle after blocking a cross from Danny Drinkwater. he had treatment, tried to continue, sat down on the pitch, walked off.
the Chelsea supporters jeered him, heartlessly and with scant concern for the bigger picture. Wilshere had just been getting into his stride again and that is good for england, as well as the player and Arsenal. he was excellent in the first half, and few of his countrymen can play with his vision and speed of thought in midfield. he was a step above his opposite number Drinkwater, who was withdrawn soon after, too, but for different reasons.
Chelsea had the best of it, not least in the second half when they came out with renewed purpose. Andreas Christensen should have scored with a free header at the far post, after David Ospina had come for the ball and found his way blocked, while Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso came close with shots. the fact remains, though, this was a good result for Arsenal.
Perhaps it would do a number of managers good to observe a game from the press box, if only to dispel a few myths about their character. you know how we imagine WengerWe has this benign, rose-tinted view of his players? Nothing ingNothing tthey do is wrong, it’s always the fault of the referee? It isisn’t like that.
the first shows oof emotion — palms slammed down on the blue ttable, a whack on ththe metal bar that hohouses the strip lighlighting — were invarinvariably in reaction to mistakesmista by Arsenal. A tametame, shorshort free-kick when something more imaginative was called for; some sleepy defending.
Later, he warmed to a familiar theme with cries of ‘What?’ every time Alvaro Morata or hazard went down. those seated in front of him reported the sort of kicking to the framework of the seats that tony Adams and Steve Bould meted out to strikers, certainly once Wenger noticed he could see every incident replayed on the press-seat television monitors.
For a while, the Chelsea fans forgot his presence, too. When they remembered they mocked him. ‘Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay,’ they chorused, trying to get a glimmer of recognition or reaction. Neither came. What did they expect, these noisy boys? Do they think somebody who has taken charge of more Premier League games than every other manager in the top flight put together gets distracted by a bit of shouting?
Wenger stayed laser- focused throughout. the intensity with which he studied the game was almost startling. he will never be able to use that excuse about not having seen a controversial incident again, though. he plainly does not miss a thing, the crafty sod.
Not that there was too much to absorb in comparison to the last meeting of these teams. that was a metaphorical roller- coaster ride, a 2-2 draw that could have seen 10 goals shared. here, chances were limited. In the second minute, hazard found Morata, who ran out of pitch and hit the side-netting.
From there it was 20 minutes before either side mustered a shot at goal — an underwhelming effort from another big-ticket signing. Wilshere put Alexandre Lacazette through but his shot was hopeless — rash, wild and high. the opposite of what Wenger, or any manager, would have wanted from a marksman.
Chelsea dominated from there, with Moses shooting on sight around Ospina. he came close twice and Christensen should have done better with two headers.
this was another match with the safety net of the video referee but its worth came largely in confirming what had not happened, rather than what had.
So, a tussle between Calum Chambers and Cesar Azpilicueta, which ended with the Chelsea man on the turf while waiting for an Arsenal corner, was judged worthy of a conversation with the pair, no more. And Ainsley MaitlandNiles’s fall after a challenge by Moses was viewed as the result of evasive action rather than contact.
then, with two minutes to go, Cesc Fabregas fell under pressure from Danny Welbeck. Play continued, the ball went out for a corner, then Martin Atkinson delayed delivery. Clearly, he was getting a steer remotely. the fans waited in anticipation. Wenger looked on intently but without emotion.
his monitor had told him long ago that Welbeck got a touch on the ball. As Atkinson was also informed, eventually. handy place to be sometimes, the press box.