Gunners’ fire drawn against Chelsea

By Goonerholic

This was the match that had everything – except goals. Chelsea departed the Grove carrying with them the point they had sought. The scenes at the final whistle as John Terry led the astonishing celebrations told you they viewed avoiding defeat as effectively the title clincher. In truth I think they would have been crowned champions even had they lost, but it is to Arsenal’s credit that we were the last serious threat to them.

The first half was as intense a half of football as we have witnessed this season. Chelsea, without a recognised centre forward (although had Didier Drogba started it would have affected their approach not one jot), set up to defend in numbers with the back four denying us the gaps our intricate interchanges seek to exploit. When those attacks broke down the visitors sprung quickly through Oscar, Eden Hazard, and Willian.

As expected Arsenal had the lion’s share of the possession but chances were few and far between, and Chelsea did look menacing on the break. It was frenetic, and with the crowd generating a hostile atmosphere a sense of gladiatorial theatre was evoked. It was tense, and by his early leniency Michael Oliver encouraged a robust opening half an hour. Three times in the opening eight minutes Branislav Ivanovic clattered into Alexis Sanchez, and the third drew him and his captain, Terry, just a warning.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic though, and Francis Coquelin, not surprisingly, also clocked up a similar number of fouls before finding his way into Oliver’s book for the lightest of tugs which Hazard made a meal of. A similar incident when Oscar went down surprisingly easily under challenge from Hector Bellerin did not even warrant the penalty that Mourinho screamed for from the touchline.

However when the same player just pipped David Ospina to chip an effort on goal he found himself justifiably sparked out as the goalkeeper’s momentum carried him into a heavy collision. Penalty again, screamed Jose Mourinho, and in all honesty we could not have complained had it been given. I would certainly have wanted it at the other end. Bellerin executed a headed clearance a yard from his line.

Midway through the half and another tumble in the box brought the loudest cheer thus far when the returning Cesc Fabregas threw himself to the deck and saw the first yellow card of the contest as a result. It was his second of the season for simulation. His reception was not as hot as some had thought beforehand. When eventually he was withdrawn in the final minute of the match there were as many applauding as jeering.

Not all of the incidents were happening in the Arsenal box. The Gunners stormed forward and began to threaten more. After Olivier Giroud had shot high and wide Santi Cazorla saw his goal-bound effort strike Gary Cahill on his raised arm, but the Chelsea defender was at point-blank range. We’ve seen them given, but the benefit of the doubt went the way of the defender.

Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Alexis, and Mesut Ozil all missed, or had efforts blocked as the end of the opening half turned into a pulsating contest of attack against defence. All of which made what followed at the start of the second half something of a mystery.

During the break Oscar, who had played on for half an hour after his coming together with Ospina, was sent to hospital to be checked out for concussion. On in his place came an old foe, Drogba. The arrival of a centre forward, rather than providing the visitors with another attacking option, coincided with them retreating even deeper into their defensive shield.

With Arsenal less vigorous in their attacking intent than earlier, the match became tedious to watch for a while. It was almost as if both teams had decided the draw was inevitable, and acceptable.

With little over twenty minutes remaining the clearest chance of the half so far fell to Per Mertesacker, of all people. He scuffed his effort wide, but all of a sudden Arsenal rediscovered some belief, and ambition. Cazorla’s left foot curled one just wide, and Aaron Ramsey saw an effort blocked. Arsene gambled, sending on Danny Welbeck for the defensive shield, Coquelin. Then surprisingly he withdrew Giroud for Theo Walcott.

In a frantic finale Ozil was just off target, and Welbeck snatched at a deflected opportunity with the goal yawning in front of him. Had either gone in we would have been spared those celebrations and the lauding of Chelsea’s performance as ‘professional’. Of course it was. Were we so in control of the top spot in the Premier League then I suspect we wouldn’t be too critical of us for doing what Chelsea feel they have to do.

They will not win any beauty contests, but they will be rightly crowned the champions. The team that amasses the largest number of points in a season are deserving champions, and they should clinch that by beating Leicester City and Crystal Palace in their next two outings. Having said that one cannot rule out that they will secure the points that they need one at a time over the remaining five matches without scoring or conceding a goal.

Arsenal, on the other hand will hopefully secure the runner-up berth, and that will be a platform from which to launch a more viable assault on the title next season. We are surely only a couple of quality signings away from the real deal?