arsenal 1-3

Independent:

Arsenal shake off inferiority complex to heap misery on Blues

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

By Sam Wallace at the Emirates Stadium

At this time of year one imagines that Roman Abramovich's yacht is moored somewhere warm, quiet and expensive, far away from the bone-chilling cold of a Premier League Christmas programme.
But no matter how remote, Chelsea's owner is never too far away to eject his managers from Stamford Bridge should he deem it necessary. Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari have all been jettisoned without warning or explanation from the Russian billionaire and this morning, the club waits with trepidation to see whether Ancelotti will go the same way.
A manager who has already been undermined by the sacking of his assistant is now struggling with four defeats in the last eight league games and could see his team go fifth in the table should Tottenham Hotspur win this afternoon. In the golden years of the Abramovich era at Chelsea this is uncharted territory. Neither does it help that Chelsea are six points behind the leaders, Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
This victory for Arsenal was a bold statement about their intentions in the title race and it lifted a Chelsea hex over them that has lasted more than two years and four league meetings. As for Chelsea it is a full-blown crisis and should Ancelotti's team fail to beat a buoyant Bolton Wanderers tomorrow it is hard to see the Italian surviving in the job.
Last night the big players who won him the double last season were overwhelmed by Arsenal. Didier Drogba, ineffective for much of the game, had not been on the losing side against Arsenal before last night. He has now. Frank Lampard and Michael Essien never came close to controlling the match. Only John Terry looked up to it.
Ancelotti says that his team are "sleeping" but it is starting to feel more like a whole winter hibernation. If the manager can be grateful for one thing it is that his side's game against Manchester United nine days ago was postponed because of the weather. On this evidence they would have lost that one, too.
This turned into an occasion on which Arsène Wenger's team played according to their manager's grand plans, those plans that so many at the Emirates struggle to buy into after five seasons without a trophy. Wenger's team were fluent, composed and one step ahead of their opponents.
It was in the space of 90 compelling seconds before the hour mark that Arsenal finally shedded their inferiority complex about Chelsea with two goals that decided the game. Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott both plundered a goal each. It was not the sort of humiliation that Chelsea are accustomed to having to bear.
There were influential performances from the likes of Fabregas and Robin van Persie but it was also the Englishmen in red shirts – Walcott and Jack Wilshere – who caught the eye. This was a big night for Wilshere, a teenager up against the intimidating reputations of Lampard and Essien, and he came through it impressively.
Walcott, selected ahead of Andrei Arshavin, did not get the better of Ashley Cole in the first half but when Chelsea were more stretched in the second half he came into his own. Over the past 12 months, Walcott has demonstrated a newly-acquired calmness about him in front of goal and his finish for Arsenal's third, his first league goal since August, was particularly well done.
It is too soon to make the kind of bold claims that this is the end of an era of dominance of Chelsea over Arsenal but it certainly had the feeling that something had ended. Perhaps it will turn out to be Ancelotti's 18 months at Chelsea but it also might be the psychological advantage – two Arsenal victories aside – that the champions have exerted over Wenger's team since Mourinho arrived more than six years ago.
The first half was a messy game that was difficult to make much sense of until Samir Nasri's shot four minutes before the break. That was pushed over by Petr Cech. By then Arsenal had imposed themselves on the game.
The breakthrough was not long in coming. Alex Song played the ball into Wilshere who was looking for Fabregas with his return pass. As the Arsenal captain lunged for the ball, he blocked Paulo Ferreira's attempt to get it and Song, who had continued his run, was given time and space to beat Cech.
It was a big moment for the Emirates who, for the first time in a long time, sensed a weakness in their old enemy. They departed at half-time with a spring in their step and came back out in the mood to kill the game.
First Walcott seized upon a loose ball from a tackle by Essien on Van Persie which turned into an inviting pass through Chelsea's defence. The England winger carried the ball into the area and released just as Cech closed down on him, allowing Fabregas a clear sight of goal and a chance he could not miss.
Walcott bettered that 90 seconds later when he beat Cech himself with a sweet finish into the far corner. It had been Walcott who had robbed Florent Malouda in the middle of the pitch and then run on to Fabregas' return ball.
On the touchline, Ancelotti will have felt that shiver of dread. He substituted Malouda almost immediately and the Frenchman's rapid trot to the bench told you that he knew he deserved it.
Chelsea scored before the hour, a long free-kick from Drogba that Lukasz Fabianski got nowhere near and was headed in by Branislav Ivanovic. On another night this would have been the cause for much moaning and groaning at the Emirates but this was no ordinary night.
Ancelotti's team were now forced to stretch themselves against an Arsenal side full of confidence on the counter-attack. Nasri and the substitute Abou Diaby both had chances to score and gradually the trepidation at the Emirates that had followed Ivanovic's goal gave way to something else. They realised Chelsea were spent. Now it is Abramovich's decision as to just how radical the remedy must be.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Nasri, Fabregas (Rosicky, 88), Walcott (Diaby, 73); V

an Persie (Chamakh, 76). Substitutes not used Squillaci, Arshavin, Bendtner, Szczesny (gk).
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira (Bosingwa, 61), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel (Ramires, h-t), Lampard; Kalou, Drogba, Malouda (Kakuta, 56). Substitutes not used Turnbull (gk), Van Aanholt, Bruma, McEachran.

Match rating 8/10.
Man of the match Wilshere.
Referee M Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear).
Booked Arsenal Fabregas, Van Persie; Chelsea Cole, Lampard, Kalou.
Attendance 60,112.

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Guardian:

Ruthless Arsenal come of age to turn Chelsea's slump into a crisis

Arsenal 3 Song 44, Fabregas 51, Walcott 53 Chelsea 1 Ivanovic 57

Kevin McCarra

The result did not confirm that the days ahead belong to Arsenal, but they have a stake in the future. If Chelsea's display was spasmodic and clumsy, it was, at least in part, because they had no answer to the rhythm of opponents who might now be ready to enter a new phase. After five years without a trophy there should be an ache to succeed.
Arsenal still did not look commanding in defence despite alterations. That was to be of no account as, from the latter stages of the first half, they hit a tempo that made Chelsea ache. While the losers wonder about the years ahead, Arsenal have reached a moment when they must no longer depict themselves as a work in progress.
It is time simply for the club to be a real power. The age profile will usually be in their favour, and while Theo Walcott has seemed to regress at times to the status of impact substitute, he was a force here. His initial purpose would have been to pin down Ashley Cole, but eventually he achieved much more. Arsène Wenger would be happy to see that as the embodiment of the entire Arsenal project.
This, of course, was merely a single match. The win over these opponents did not cancel out three losses already endured at the Emirates to supposedly lesser visitors in the league, but it might encourage an assurance that will limit the number of lapses. Results transform attitudes, and Arsenal had waited a while for this alchemy.
They presented themselves with a 3-0 lead here after opening the scoring on the verge of the interval. A first victory over Chelsea in 25 months was all but inevitable even then, since Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, has a team in decline. Their response with a goal was a last spark of pride in a squad that looked burnt out. Even so, Arsenal had still needed to think long and hard about a test they passed well enough to suggest they may still compete hard for the title.
The match weighed heavily on Wenger. Instead of sticking to habit, he had made decisions that saw, for instance, Johan Djourou and Walcott in the starting line-up in preference to Sébastien Squillaci and Andrey Arshavin respectively. Such verdicts did not have an immediate impact, and for a while Arsenal's play was smooth but lacking a contrasting pointedness in the penalty area.
There had nevertheless been a rising tempo and confidence, which was rewarded in the 44th minute. Alex Song began the move. His pass brushed against Cesc Fábregas before Jack Wilshere returned play to Song, who shot low past Petr Cech from an angle on the left. Arsenal had gradually increased the tempo in a thoughtful fashion that suggested memories of meetings with Chelsea had been cleansed from the memory.
Arsenal's last victory over Chelsea had been in November 2008, the month when they also recorded their most recent win against Manchester United. Arsenal's captain, Fábregas, who had been injured and merely came off the substitutes' bench in the defeat two weeks ago at Old Trafford, said Arsenal had been scared that night. The club does not spend at the level of its peers but, at a time when Manchester City alone look bullish in the transfer market, there should still be a possibility of Wenger's team staying to the fore.
In this match, it was to be expected that there would be a spring in Arsenal's step. Fábregas began his first game for the club since 23 November. Chelsea, too, had a particular midfielder who had not been present at kick-off since 28 August. A 32-year-old Frank Lampard, understandably, could not galvanise those around him or present a danger in the goalmouth. He struck some good passes in the first half, yet did not cause panic.
Arsenal, a goal ahead, had the composure of a side that could afford to be calm, particularly since there was, by then, an erratic tone to Chelsea. With 51 minutes gone, Michael Essien's effort to tackle Robin van Persie merely guided the ball to Walcott, and he drew Cech before setting up Fábregas to shoot into the unattended net.
The competence had deteriorated further at the next Arsenal goal, two minutes later. Florent Malouda was dispossessed by Walcott, and when Fábregas returned the ball to him the finish was elementary. By that stage, all that remained of the once formidable Chelsea was the persistence that counted at a Didier Drogba free-kick, with Branislav Ivanovic leaping above Laurent Koscielny to head a goal in the 57th minute.
In its own way, even that moment has its uses for Arsenal as an indication that they can be more efficient in defence. So far as Chelsea were concerned, the visitors had already been much too capable.


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Mail:

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1:

Gunners catch fire as flying Theo Walcott makes it a nightmare for Ancelotti
By Matt Lawton

Only at Chelsea could the manager win a domestic Double and be in danger of losing his job in the same year.But that, as 2010 draws to a close, is the situation Carlo Ancelotti finds himself in after another crushing defeat that has seen his side lose yet more ground in a title race they were dominating only two months ago.
Quite what now happens to the beleaguered Italian really rather depends on how much Roman Abramovich blames himself for interfering in the first place and how much he places at the door of his sixth manager in the seven years he has owned his football club.But the Russian's track record would suggest his trigger finger will be getting itchy now his side seem incapable of pulling out of this extraordinary tailspin.They were five points clear in October but one win in eight league games has seen them drop like a stone down the table and they go into tomorrow night's encounter with Bolton at risk of slipping below Owen Coyle's upwardly mobile side.
For all the brilliance of Arsenal and for all their success in overcoming the 'mental hurdle' that meetings with Manchester United and Chelsea had come to represent, this was dreadful stuff from Chelsea. It might have been expecting too much of Frank Lampard to think his first start in four months would spark a revival. But they were devoid of energy and inspiration as well as confidence. Devoid of belief, too.Sir Alex Ferguson claims never to have dismissed them as an 'old team' but here at the Emirates last night Chelsea looked exactly that - a group of thirtysomething players struggling to maintain the standards they have set in previous years. They used to call Michael Essien The Train but, judging by his recent performances, he is most certainly running out of steam.The absence of Nicolas Anelka and Alex aside, this was about as strong a team as Ancelotti could have selected. But they were no match for a maturing Arsenal team they had beaten 3-0 and 4-1 on their last two league visits.
It was so bad for Arsenal, Wenger admitted his side were suffering from some kind of complex. But thanks to fine goals from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott and some quite horrific defending, it is now Chelsea who appear to have psychological issues. They had no answer to the class and guile of Fabregas and Robin van Persie, no way of containing Walcott and Samir Nasri on the flanks and Song and Jack Wilshere in the centre.Chelsea were determined enough to begin with, the manner in which Salomon Kalou crashed into Laurent Koscielny in the opening minute suggesting they were keen to flex their collective muscle. Keen to remind everyone, now they had Lampard back in their team, that they are the English champions.In Arsenal, however, they met opponents revived by the knowledge that Fabregas and Van Persie were finally fit and with players like Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh on the bench.
The fact that only Petr Cech had to make saves was a measure of their dominance, Nasri testing him first with a long-range effort before producing a chip the Chelsea goalkeeper excelled in tipping to safety.But there was nothing he could do to deny Song the opening goal moments before the interval, a goal that was typical of Arsenal but exposed the fragility of a once brilliant Chelsea defence. It was a beautifully executed move, starting with a one-two between Song and Wilshere that was then taken on by Fabregas, who played the ball beyond Paulo Ferreira before Song pounced to guide his shot beyond the grasp of a diving Cech.By then, Fabregas had already dazzled with an almost Cruyff-like turn. But the finish he produced in the 52nd minute was rather more routine and came as the result of some careless midfield play.
In trying to wrestle the ball from Van Persie, Essien succeeded only in diverting it into the path of an advancing Walcott. The England winger then squared to Fabregas and the Arsenal skipper did the rest. Arsenal's third came less than two minutes later. Florent Malouda's hesitancy in receiving a meek pass from Terry enabled Walcott to steal possession and a quick onetwo with Fabregas ended with a super finish from the England winger.While a frustrated, largely ineffective Didier Drogba berated Terry, Ancelotti responded by hooking Malouda. And while the Chelsea manager then saw Branislav Ivanovic quickly reduce the deficit when he flicked on a free-kick from Drogba beyond Lukasz Fabianski, it failed to disguise what a crushing defeat this was. Just as it failed to improve Ancelotti's mood.When he dared suggest last week that the pressure could soon be on Wenger, there was always a danger he might soon regret making such an observation.But not even he would have envisaged this. Not even he imagined his side could have come here and delivered such an inept display. No wonder he left last night admitting it could now be difficult to win the league.By tonight they could have dropped to fifth. By tomorrow it could be even worse. It now depends on whether Abramovich accepts the mess at Stamford Bridge is as much of his making as anyone else's.


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Sun:

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1
By SHAUN CUSTIS

IS Carlo Ancelotti going to get the sack after this Christmas stuffing? Maybe owner Roman Abramovich fancies a Guus from Turkey instead.

Abramovich's favourite boss, Guus Hiddink, is currently in residence as manager of the Turkish national team but he remains popular after his brief spell in charge as caretaker a couple of seasons ago. And Abramovich will not be full of festive cheer following the Blues latest disaster in which they gift-wrapped Arsenal three points and extended their woeful run to no wins in six games and a paltry half-a-dozen points from the last 24.
Goals from Alex Song, captain Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott put the Gunners in control before the visitors grabbed a consolation through Branislav Ivanovic.
For Arsenal this victory could have an important psychological effect. Arsene Wenger's men were poor in losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford in their previous outing but this result has given their confidence a huge boost.
They are second in the table, two points behind United, while Chelsea are dropping like a stone.
At this rate the team which won the Double under Ancelotti last May could drop out of the top four which would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago.
The dismissal of assistant Ray Wilkins when all was going swimmingly at Stamford Bridge still looks ridiculous.
Abramovich has no one to answer to for that decision but himself, yet he must surely realise it was a monumental cock-up.
It plunged Chelsea into unnecessary turmoil and now they look more like relegation strugglers than a side capable of mounting another title challenge.
For all that Arsenal deserve great credit for this victory with impressive performances all round. Fabregas and Walcott were telepathic while young Jack Wilshere is growing in stature.
The return of Fabregas - who has been dogged by hamstring trouble - and Robin van Persie up front gave them an extra edge and their subs included the likes of Marouane Chamakh, Tomas Rosicky, Sebastien Squillaci and Andrey Arshavin.
By contrast Chelsea had a bench packed with rookies reflecting the fact they have become one of the tight wads of the Premier League.
Arsenal could have been in front inside six minutes when Van Persie got behind the defence as Song played a delightful ball over the top but the Dutchman, perhaps put off by Ivanovic in his eye-line, completely missed his kick six yards out.
Drogba then got away after sloppy play by the home side and there was a sharp intake of breath round the Emirates as the striker drew back his right foot followed by an exhale of relief as his 20-yard shot flashed inches wide.
So often Drogba had been the scourge of Arsenal, having scored 13 goals in 13 games against the Gunners and never being on the losing side.
This was a very different experience for the Ivorian hitman.
You could sense the tension in the air because defeat for either side would represent a major setback in their title aspirations.
And, after a spell of cagey play which also featured some robust challenges, Nasri brought proceedings to life with a magnificent chip from 20 yards towards the top corner which Petr Cech clawed over the bar.
It was the prelude to Arsenal taking the lead just before half-time.
Song created it and scored it. First the Cameroon midfielder played a pass to Wilshere and continued into the box.
When the return came in, Fabregas got a touch and seemed to be fouled by Paulo Ferreira.
But, before the Gunners could start screaming for a penalty or referee Mark Clattenburg could get the whistle to his mouth, the ball ran on to Song who cracked a left-footed strike across Cech into the far right-hand corner.
Chelsea withdrew holding midfield specialist Mikel at the break and replaced him with the Brazilian Ramires - but it made precious little difference. Wenger's men started the second half strongly winning a couple of corners and putting pressure on Cech while the visitors still looked devoid of ideas. Lukasz Fabianski in the Arsenal goal had not dirtied his gloves once.
And it was no great surprise when the Gunners added a second on 51 minutes. Michael Essien, normally such a force in midfield, challenged and only succeeded in giving the ball way to Walcott.
He broke down the right and passed square to Fabregas who had the simple task of rolling it into an empty net.
If that was not bad enough for Chelsea, they conceded a third two minutes later.
Another error at the back saw Terry put Florent Malouda in trouble with a short pass and Walcott was in quickly to whip the ball off the Frenchman's toe. The England winger fed Fabregas, took the return and rattled his shot low past the helpless Cech.
It was fantastic stuff from Arsenal and desperate stuff from Chelsea but the champions did get one back when Ivanovic headed in from Drogba's free-kick as Fabianski flapped at fresh air.
Arsenal, though, could have made it four when sub Gael Kakuta's chest down was too short for Cech and Nasri was in but his shot was saved by Cech.
Then sub Abou Diaby delayed too long when a first-time shot was the best option and Frank Lampard, making his first start in four months, slid in to block.
Lamps needs to get up to speed quickly if Chelsea are to save their season.