What’s all this, Chelsea face a team in the top half of the table and get a win, surely that wasn’t meant to happen? I mean, the game against Arsenal would have been classed as a test wouldn’t it? And if we came through it, we’d have to be given some credit, wouldn’t we?
Well, obviously not as far as Arsene Wenger was concerned we weren’t, because the Arsenal manager seemed to think it was an ‘easy’ game for his side, insisting “The game should have been over before we started it. We had the first two chances in the first minute. I don’t know how we managed to miss a header from six yards. You have to be more clinical to win championships. You cannot win championship like that… Chelsea finished with cramps and were on the ground because they had to run a lot, I believe Chelsea suffered a lot. They were on the ropes for long periods. We dominated this game, quite surprisingly in my opinion. Surprisingly easy, but we go home with zero points. Chelsea are a candidate to win the title but it is not a decisive position.”
Hang on though, because whilst Wenger obviously has a bit of a bee in his bonnet that even though his side had us ‘on the ropes’, they clearly didn’t have the physical strength to land a knockout punch, The Sun’s Rob Beasley gives Carlo Ancelotti credit for keeping the faith with players like Cole and John Terry, stating “It was Didier Drogba, inevitably, and Alex, spectacularly, who sunk Arsenal and pushed Chelsea four points clear at the top of the Premier League. But boss Carlo Ancelotti will have taken far more delight from the brilliant performances of ex-Gunner Ashley Cole and inspirational skipper John Terry. Performances that vindicated his unswerving faith in two of his star players, albeit ones who heaped shame on the club in his first season at the helm.”
The Guardian’s David Hytner is another one who looks at the former Arsenal left-back, grudgingly suggesting “Trophies are surely the ultimate barometer and, as Cole knows, Chelsea once again look set to add to their collection. When the margins are tight, their ruthlessness sets them apart.”
At least Henry Winter is a little more generous in his praise, stating “There is a unity and energy to Chelsea that make them such formidable opponents. There is also a technical excellence applied at speed. Ashley Cole kept flying down the left, getting behind Bacary Sagna with a few runs and under the skin of the Arsenal fans with a couple of gestures. Michael Essien was a force in central midfield, disrupting Arsenal’s supply-lines and piling forward. Drogba was Drogba, déjà vu on legs, striking his 13th goal in 13 games against Arsenal. He bullied Wenger’s centre-halves, Sébastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny, who resembled learner drivers venturing out into fast-moving traffic.”
So there we have it, as hard as it may be for some to accept, we can still live with sides like Arsenal – just as we have for a few years now and whilst the second half was about the strength of our defence, the win didn’t just come from Arsenal’s inadequacies – we’re 4 points clear and right now, we deserve it.
Blue is the colour
