Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea: Gunners brush aside London rivals as Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil lead first-half blitz for Arsene Wenger's side
- Arsenal brushed aside London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates as they secured a comfortable 3-0 victory
- Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil all scored for the Gunners as they dominated the first half
- Gary Cahill's shocking mistake allowed Sanchez to score and led to havoc among the Chelsea defence
- Walcott and Ozil added further strikes before the break as Arsene Wenger's side took total control
- Chelsea switched to three at the back in the second half but they failed to get back into the game
- ALL THE ACTION AS IT HAPPENED: Relive the game with Sportsmail's live minute-by-minute coverage
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If there was a better way to celebrate the imminent 20th anniversary of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, then it’s hard to imagine what it would have entailed. Maybe a result such as this against a Chelsea team managed by Jose Mourinho would have topped Saturday evening. Not much else.
The analysis of Wenger’s 20 years has essentially been condensed down to a Sven-Goran Eriksson team talk: ‘First half good; second half, not so good.’ But on Saturday at The Emirates it was like a throwback to happier days at Highbury, as though this team wanted to remind him of that glorious past. Maybe they even dared dream of something similar emerging in the future, before Wenger retires.
Nothing has illustrated the difference in Wenger’s first 10 years and the last 10 years more clearly than the club’s performances against Chelsea. For a decade west London’s arriviste team couldn’t get close to them in Premier League clashes; but having finally overcome them decisively in the 2005-06 season, it has seemed as though they would never loosen their hold.
Arsenal made a fast start to the game as Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring following a mistake by Chelsea's Gary Cahill
Sanchez made the most of Cahill's error, sprinting clear and dinking the ball home to make it 1-0 to the home side
The Arsenal star wheels away to celebrate his opener as Cahill (left) contemplates giving the opposition an easy goal
Sanchez points to the sky after making it 1-0 and it wasn't long before Arsenal then extended their advantage
Theo Walcott (right) made it 2-0 to the home side, tapping home a Hector Bellerin cross following a flowing team move
Walcott can't hide his delight after finding the back of the net as he left Chelsea with a mountain to climb in the first half
Arsenal's elation is clear to see as Walcott's goal put them in total control against a Chelsea side below their best early on
It soon got even better for the home side as Mesut Ozil volleyed home from a Sanchez chip to make it 3-0 at the break
Ozil is joined by Alex Iwobi as Arsenal celebrate a first half which went better than they could possibly have dreamed of
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MATCH FACTS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 6.5; Bellerin 8, Mustafi 8, Koscielny 8, Monreal 7; Coquelin 6.5 (Xhaka 32, 7), Cazorla 7.5, Iwobi 7.5 (Gibbs 69, 6.5), Ozil 8, Walcott 7.5; Sanchez 8.5 (Giroud 79, 6)
SUBS NOT USED: Ospina, Perez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Holding
SCORER: Sanchez 11, Walcott 14, Ozil 40
MANAGER: Arsene Wenger 8
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6.5; Ivanovic 5.5, Cahill 4, Luiz 5.5, Azpilicueta 5.5; Kante 6, Matic 6.5; Willian 6.5 (Pedro 71, 5.5), Fabregas 5 (Alonso 55, 6), Hazard 6.5 (Batshuayi 71, 6); Costa 6
SUBS NOT USED: Begovic, Oscar, Moses, Chalobah
BOOKED: Ivanovic, Costa
MANAGER: Antonio Conte 5.5
REFEREE: Michael Oliver 7
ATTENDANCE: 60,028
MOTM: Alexis Sanchez
* Ratings by Sami Mokbel
Theo Walcott's goal summed up a brilliant day for Arsenal, the England man on the end of a flowing team move to make it 2-0 to the home side during a thrilling first half. For more heat maps and stats, visit our MATCH ZONE
Chelsea’s treatment of Arsenal in the last 10 years has been close to systematic bullying at times. A 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge and the odd victory notwithstanding, Arsenal have generally collapsed and disintegrated at the sight of Chelsea.
As such, this was a bizarre role reversal. There was the slow, disjointed side conceding space aplenty at the back and unable to defend counter attacks. And there was a team of predators hunting down a weary, weakened opponent. In short, all the ingredients of an Arsenal-Chelsea match, just with the identities switched.
The significance was acknowledged by Wenger.
Chelsea's David Luiz looks to the heavens as he emerges from the tunnel before the hotly-anticipated Premier League clash
Arsenal's German defender Shkodran Mustafi kept a close eye on powerful Chelsea striker Diego Costa early on
Arsenal's Nacho Monreal goes for the ball with Chelsea's Willian close to the touchline in the London derby
In the 11th minute, Cahill dithered on the ball and was robbed by Sanchez, allowing the Chilean to run through and score
Granit Xhaka posted a dressing-room selfie after the match
‘I would be tempted to say it was one of the best performances in recent years,’ he said. ‘It was one of those moments in your life where you think: “Ok, today is a great day.” In the first half I think it was nearly perfect. We have shown great quality, we played with style, with pace, with movement, and that’s the kind of football we want to play.
‘I said before the game we have to deal with some inconvenient facts and I’m aware we couldn’t beat Chelsea for years and getting that out of the system was at stake. What was important for me was that the psychological hurdle doesn’t stand in your way.’
As for the future, though it is obvious one fine half does not a title challenge make, Wenger must at least feel as optimistic as he has done for years.
‘I’m hungrier because I know I don’t have 20 years in front of me,’ he said, reflecting on his milestone. ‘And because I feel the responsibility more. The weight of keeping people happy is heavier than when I arrived.’
Sanchez jumps for joy following his early goal, barely able to believe the mistake Cahill made which allowed him to score
Just over two minutes later Walcott slotted home from close range to double Arsenal's advantage and make it 2-0
Arsenal's only moment of concern in the first half saw Francis Coquelin hobble off to be replaced by Xhaka in midfield
Luiz sums up the mood within the Chelsea squad as with their defence all over the place, they were quickly 2-0 down
Arsenal were impressive in all areas, pressing the ball with a ferocity rarely seen here, and unsettling Chelsea from the off. Theo Walcott, Hector Bellerin, Alex Iwobi and Shkodran Mustafi were all superb as was Mesut Ozil, though that was to be expected. That said, it was Alexis Sanchez who led the way, not just with his finishing and assists, but with his intensity and sheer bloody mindedness. He was outstanding.
By contrast, for Gary Cahill it was a miserable afternoon. Even if we can agree he was fouled by Leroy Fer at Swansea last week, Sanchez sniffed a vulnerability. So when Branislav Ivanovic rolled the ball back to Cahill on 10 minutes, the Chilean was hassling and harrying, robbing the ball and advancing on goal before delivering the exquisite chip over Thibaut Courtois to make it 1-0.
Arsenal looked in the mood to exploit Chelsea’s disarray.
Former Arsenal man Cesc Fabregas started the game for Chelsea but endured a nightmare first half with the Blues
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger looks on as he applauds his side following their terrific display in the opening 45 minutes
Ozil is surrounded by his Arsenal team-mates after scoring the third goal in what was a dream first period for the home side
German ace Ozil celebrates in trademark fashion, his effort five minutes before the break putting the game beyond Chelsea
They moved the ball crisply and aggressively, Iwobi at the heart of the move in the 14th minute which pulled Chelsea one way, then the other to release Bellerin, who pulled the ball back for Walcott to convert from close range. Usually it is Arsenal who capitulate within 15 minutes of this fixture. It all felt decidedly surreal.
It wasn’t just the old guard, such as Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic who looked utterly unfit for purpose for Chelsea.
N’Golo Kante was awfully ponderous when Ozil robbed him on 40 minutes. The man who defied running stats last season was last seen jogging back as the German sprinted clean away, exchanged passes with Sanchez, and shot it into the ground to see the ball loop over Courtois, hit the post and rebound into the net.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte saw his team all over the place at the back and turn around with a three-goal deficit
Chelsea's Spanish striker Costa sums up the mood of his side as they were brushed aside by Arsenal in the first half
Fabregas was replaced by Marcos Alonso in the second half as Chelsea switched to three at the back
Chelsea star Eden Hazard was a peripheral figure as the Blues struggled to get the ball to their Belgian forward
Chelsea had been out-run, out-battled and out-classed. And it is hard to see this side improving soon; the malaise of last season seems to cut too deeply into their psyche, as Conte conceded.
‘We must work a lot to improve because I think we are a great team only on paper, not on the pitch,’ he said.
‘I prefer to be a great team on the pitch because that is the truth. The pitch is the most important thing; not words. I think there are many difficulties but if we understand this, I think we are in a great position to recover.’
It took just one break from Walcott in the second half and a cross with which Sanchez so nearly connected, to prompt substitutions. Cesc Fabregas, on a miserable return home, was the man withdrawn. Marcos Alonso came on as Chelsea reverted to a back three.
The second half was a much tighter affair... here, Xhaka goes to ground to try and dispossess N'Golo Kante of Chelsea
Conte made three changes early in the second half but his team couldn't find a way back into the game at the Emirates
Costa was the one Chelsea player to impress but he endured a frustrating evening with little service from his team-mates
Costa's day to forget was completed when his patience ran out and he received a late booking from Michael Oliver
It stemmed the tide of attacks for a while but didn’t threaten Arsenal. Eden Hazard and Willian were sacrificed for Pedro and Michy Batshuayi on 70 minutes. But when Pedro did appear to get a chance on goal on 73 minutes, the extraordinary pace of Bellerin and an exquisite tackle saved Arsenal. Then it was Petr Cech off his line on 84 minutes to deny Batshuayi.
In truth it was all a little late by then anyway. Arsenal had assumed a dominance more akin to the double winning side of 1998 or the Invicibles by then.
And it’s a long time since they’ve been able to say that; almost 10 years, in fact.
Arsenal goal hero Ozil celebrates victory over his team's London rivals by throwing his shirt into the Emirates crowd
Ozil's shirt was caught by one young fan, completing a day to remember for both him and his team
Beaten Chelsea boss Conte goes to shake the hand of the victorious Wenger at the end of the game in the capital
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