Ready To Be Kings? Arsenal No Longer Pretenders To The Throne.

Arsenal 3 – 1 Chelsea

1 – 0 Song (44)
2 – 0 Fabregas (51)
3 – 0 Walcott (53)
3 – 1 Ivanovic (57)

The stygian skies which had gathered above The Emirates following the defeat at Old Trafford, were lifted with a performance which had long been demanded against title rivals. It was a victory which delivered a tocsin to those who have title pretensions.

Arsene rang the changes from that defeat. Ironically, on a night when Marouane Chamakh was not able to feast upon them, accurate crosses came from right and left flanks. Consistency of that delivery will bring rich rewards for the Moroccan in future matches. Wenger held the mortar as his charges became the pestle, Chelsea ground into dust by superior technique.

The visitors words beforehand were given a hollow ring from kick-off. The folly of their belief that physical superiority would bring the expected rewards was highlighted as Arsenal snapped into tackles, pressurised and harried to regain possession. Such was the diligence of the side’s work, Lukasz Fabianski was barely tested before an unassailable advantage had been forged.

Didier Drogba had been cast as Arsenal’s bête noire prior to kick-off but Johan Djourou was pugnacious in his handling of the Ivorian, restricting him to a shot wide early in the match. The Swiss international’s inclusion – entirely vindicated – was a surprise in the sense that Wenger has previously been cautious in such matches. His strength and aerial ability marked the youngster as an obvious choice in hindsight, his performance enhancing his burgeoning reputation as a first choice centre back of the future (and who is not to say the present?).

Midfield was the battleground where the match was won. Arsenal’s triumverate, enhanced by attackers and defenders, buzzed around Chelsea, forcing errors and firmly putting the visitors on the backfoot. Fabregas, Song and Wilshere tore into challenges, interceptions and were economical with their distribution, rarely wasting a pass.

Arsenal simply refused to be cowed, declined the opportunity to lay low. They stood toe-to-toe with their supposed physical superiors before they out-fought and out-thought them.

The stats after the game were telling; 277 passes in the oppositions half to Chelsea’s 126. It emphasised two things; Arsenal’s dominance and Chelsea’s descendence into a long-ball team, devoid of attacking ideas and ideology. Talk this morning of Ancelotti’s dismissal might be premature but casting a glance at the two benches highlighted the folly and short-termism of a multi-million pound spending spree with Uefa’s new regulations about to bite.

van Persie had Arsenal’s first opportunity, wafting at Song’s pass with Ivanovic’s boot flailing. The Dutchman was to have a tough evening, battered, shoved and tripped at will by the Chelsea defence, Mark Clattenburg reticent to issue cards for serial offenders. When he did, he glaringly got it wrong, Kalou incomprehensibly shown a yellow for a scything challenge on Clichy having tried DIY surgery on Koscielny previously. Who says officials are not swayed by reputations?

As the first half passed, Arsenal exerted more and eventually telling pressure on Chelsea. Cech clutched Nasri’s freekick, Drogba blocked Sagna’s effort, a rare occasion that the Ivorian effectively used his head last night. After Fabregas and van Persie had gone close as well, Cech rolled back the years with an outstanding save from Nasri’s almost perfectly improvised chip.

The deadlock was broken as the interval loomed. Song received the ball and immediately ploughed into the area, exchanging passes with Wilshere. Bundling into space as Fabregas was felled, the Cameroonian lifted the ball into the net with pace past Cech. It was no more than Arsenal deserved and the forewarning of a storm to come, one that would leave Chelsea rolling on the waves of Arsenal attacks. Malouda came close to parity before the whistle blew but the break gave a chance to regroup for the home side, to ensure calmness settled in their heads.

Half-time provided no haven of safety for the visitors. Before ten minutes of the second half had passed, the match was beyond reach. Chelsea were architects of their own despair, failing to heed the lessons of the first half and lax with their play. Arsenal capitalised.

van Persie’s pressure forced Essien into a loose pass, seized upon by Walcott who as Cech advanced, stumbled the ball sideways to Cesc, the Spaniard burying the chance with glee. Minutes later, Walcott prodded the ball away, feeding Fabregas, the return perfectly weighted into the England international’s path, the calmness of finish adding evidence to Walcott’s improvement this season.

Poor defending was not the sole preserve of the visitors. Koscielny allowed Ivanvic to get goal side of him and as Fabianski became stranded by indecision, the ball was looped over him into the net to give Chelsea hope. Whereas before Arsenal would have reeled, this time there was a marked professionalism in the way they broke the game when Chelsea had possession, took the sting from any attacking aspirations that their opponents may have had.

There were more opportunities to make the scoreline emphatic. Nasri should have lofted Cech in a manner similar to Pires at Villa Park to make the margin of victory destructive. Instead, to Arsene’s obvious disappointement, he lifted the ball gently into the goalkeeper’s grasp.

It was a superb performance in a fantastic atmosphere, one that begs the question as to why The Emirates cannot buzz like that more often. Late arrivals and early departees were noticeable by their absence – could it be that there were more supporters in the ground, a message to the club that they have an imbalance towards corporate funds? What price do the players put on such nights? Judging by their tweets, more than money can define.

The next eight days are crucial. With visits to Wigan and Birmingham before Manchester City arrive next Wednesday. It is crucial that last night’s victory is built upon, otherwise the erosion of insecurities will prove ephemeral. It is a demanding schedule but a glance at Arsenal’s players suggests that the squad are more than up to the task.

’til Tomorrow.