After a really unlucky loss at Old Trafford, Arsenal had to win against a Chelsea side they had not won against in five games. They also had to contend with Didier Drogba who had scored thirteen goals in the last thirteen games against the Gunners. This was probably the most important game of the season, as the consequences for the loss would have put to bed any Arsenal title aspirations. A loss would have also meant Arsenal dropping to forth in the table. A win, well, Arsenal go second, a mere two points off the top.
I was listening to a lot of people opinions, and the resounding feeling was that Arsenal would come short again against another big team. Anyone who was at Old Trafford would have seen how unlucky Arsenal were to lose, and came up against a team that once they got a goal were content to defend. The lesson learned out of that game had to be to create faster attacks, as the defence looked solid enough, surprisingly.
So when Chelsea came to town, my prediction was a 3-1 victory. I sent plenty of messages around, bragging that finally Arsenal would play well and come out with a win. The game started and Chelsea were content to sit and Arsenal began probing. Surely enough, attacks and chances came but it wasn’t until the forty-third minute when Arsenal scored. They deserved it, and it was just reward after plenty of possession and good play. The ball came in from Wilshere and Fabregas was felled in the penalty area only for Song to race onto the lose ball and calmly slot it in the corner. A great finish from a guy who is labelled wrongly as a defensive midfielder. He sits deep when needed but is a great footballer who loves to get forward. Already he has more goals this season (4) then his whole other seasons combined. One nil up at the break and Arsenal were good value for that.
In the second half, Arsenal to a man pressed high up the pitch and got two goals in quick succession. The first was down to Walcott’s pace and intelligence to put it on a plate for the captain. The second was down to a great pass from Fabregas, who returned the favour for Walcott, who finished stunningly. My prediction was right, but I thought we would get more. Instead, we did the Arsenal thing, and conceded straight away. The ground, which was buzzing, became very worried. To be honest, Chelsea didn’t create much, and Drogba didn’t look like he played! Arsenal looked good and had won the most important game so far in the title race.
They played like Champions, against The Champions, which as a fan was great to watch. Arshavin and Chamakh and Rosicky didn’t start, so will play in two days against Wigan. If we don’t win the next two games, this win won’t be as important. I think we are in a good position, and have created a four point gap against Chelsea and it is not even New Year. We have the potential. It is time we started showing it. A really fantastic performance, now lets build on it, the Arsenal way!
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