WENGER PRAISES STYLE AND STEEL
Gunners keep their heads to finally end Chelsea hoodoo after 5 years
Arsene Wenger last night praised the Gunners’ steel for ending five years of London derby hurt.
And they did it in style as first-half goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez and Mezut Ozil inflicted Gunners’ biggest win over Chelsea since 1997.
Wenger will celebrate his 20th anniversary as Arsenal manager next week – and probably feels as positive as ever after yesterday.
They totally dominated struggling Chelsea but Wenger says it was just reward for keeping their discipline – and the stats didn’t matter.
He said: “Football doesn’t care for history or anniversaries, just the result on the day. The inconvenient facts were there – we had to change recent history.
“We did it with style and steel. We were commit ted and disciplined and it is not so easy to find that balance in these games.”
Arsenal have had a man sent off in four of their previous five league clashes with their bitter rivals.
But England ace Walcott insists this time Arsenal worked hard and kept their head. He said: “We know all about what has happened in the past – but it is all about now.
“We worked hard last week and the guys did really well. It has been quietly coming. We are all working for each other. Everyone is focused.
“The experience is bedding in to this team. We were disciplined. If we keep clean sheets we will win games
because we can score and I was in the right place at the right time.”
The Gunners had been winless in this fixture since a 5- 3 victory at Stamford Bridge in October 2011.
But they fully deserved the 3- 0 win that lifts them to third place in the Premier League.
Sanchez got the ball rolling in the 11th minute as he marked his 100th game for Arsenal with the opener.
He robbed the ball from Gary Cahill then lofted a smart finish over Chelsea No.1 Thibaut Courtois. Just three minutes later Gunners doubled their advantage, Walcott tapping home Hector Bellerin’s cross after a perfect pass from Alex Iwobi.
Gunners struck again before the interval. In the 40th minute Sanchez lofted a ball to the back post where Ozil arrived to hit a volley into the ground and over Courtois.
Cesc Fabregas’ free-kick brought a save from Petr Cech and Eden Hazard volleyed the rebound into the side-netting – but Blues looked a dispirited bunch.
The second half was a non event by comparison with the breathless action in the opening 45 minutes.
For Chelsea it looked a matter of damage limitation while Arsenal were happy with their lot.
Still they could have made it 4- 0
in 53 minutes when Granit Xhaka found Walcott with time and space but his pass eluded Sanchez.
Antonio Conte changed the shape of his side, introducing Marcos Alonso in place of ex-Arsenal man Fabregas and shifting to play 3- 4-3.
But defence was their weak spot and Sanchez carved them wide open with a simple pass but Ozil was off the pace this time.
There were worrying signs for the Blues boss as Cahill rowed with keeper Courtois with their lines of communication in tatters.
The best Chelsea could muster was an Eden Hazard shot and a one-onone right at the end – but Cech was too good for Michy Batshuayi.
Wenger added: “It was an outstanding team performance. We played with spirit and collective pace and movement.
“We want to play this kind of game based on technical quality and pace. I hope this convinces the players we are on the right path. There is still room for improvement.
“Ideally you want the perfect game but you never get it. We got nearly a perfect first half so that’s not bad.”
Chelsea have now suffered backto-back league defeats for the first time since 2009 and struggling boss Conte admitted: “We didn’t have the right attitude from the first minute.
“We have not got the balance and now is the moment to consider everything. We must reflect a lot to find the right way. When nothing works it is hard to play well.”