The TimesDecember 1, 2008
Robin van Persie gives Arsenal new sense of beliefChelsea 1 Arsenal 2
Martin Samuel
At the end, they celebrated in warrior style, shirts off and thrown to the crowd, chests out, muscles rippling, straining against the material of sweat-soaked undergarments. We have seen this emotion from Chelsea before, marking big victories in the battlefields of the north; but this was Arsenal, delivering against the odds once again this season and relishing the moment, extracting every last drop of adrenalin from it.
Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said to win at Stamford Bridge showed the character of his team, and he meant it as a positive. Yet, equally, it could be argued that players capable of beating Manchester United and Chelsea this season but unable to get the better of Stoke City, Aston Villa and Manchester City are showing character of a more worrying sort: that of the big-time Charlie. Wenger, at all times a thinking man, had an answer for that, too. “Sometimes part of the learning process is to find out how to win when you are not on the edge,” he said. “We were there today and, in other matches, it will not be the same. I have an intelligent group, though, and they must learn how to win every type of game. Just to turn up is not good enough.”
Arsenal turned up yesterday, though, certainly after half-time. Not necessarily in the style expected of them, all dash and panache, passing Chelsea off the pitch, but in the manner of one of those admirable, battling teams who get an advantage, not entirely on merit, and defend it. This was an Arsenal seldom seen, eye-catching players doing grimly determined jobs. Samir Nasri, wide on the left, barely featured in an attacking move, but he boxed José Bosingwa in the right-back position, when his wing game has been such a feature of Chelsea’s forward play this season.
Arsenal’s back line was magnificent, save for Johan Djourou’s own goal after 29 minutes, with William Gallas the star. His reception at Stamford Bridge was as hostile as could be expected, yet he rose above it to deliver — irony of ironies — the captain’s performance that was so often missing when he wore the armband. His celebrations were particularly passionate at the end. Only time will tell if this was too little, or too late.
The result propelled Arsenal back to fourth place, but they are not re-established as title contenders yet, trailing Chelsea by seven points. The club should prepare for a few sackloads of fan mail from Merseyside, however, for what Arsenal most certainly are this season are Liverpool’s allies. Their past five league results have been of perfect benefit to Rafael Benítez and his players, with wins against Liverpool’s title rivals, Chelsea and United, and three soft defeats neatly undermining their own cause.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, blamed the officials for the defeat and hoped for an apology this morning, but if Mike Dean, the referee, and his assistants do express regret, they should add that they are also sorry that Chelsea had only one shot at goal all match, did not create a chance after Arsenal’s first goal, had their best striker in the stands because of his own foolishness and have only one way of playing, which the rest of the Premier League would appear to have worked out. This result went far deeper than a shout for offside when Robin van Persie equalised, and it did Scolari scant credit that he was prepared to join the ranks of the disgruntled now that his luck has changed.
Yes, Van Persie did look offside when he scored his first goal after 58 minutes, but there were another 36 minutes, including stoppage time, left to play when this occurred and Chelsea’s failure to create a single scoring opportunity in that period is not the fault of the officials. Chelsea lost yesterday because they lacked imagination and were little threat to Manuel Almunia in Arsenal’s goal. They lost because Deco has gone completely off the boil, Michael Ballack is feeling his way back after injury, and Frank Lampard cannot do it all on his own. They lost because, without Ricardo Carvalho, they are defensively vulnerable. They lost because Scolari is in desperate need of plan B. They lost because, with Didier Drogba suspended, there was no impact to be made from the bench. They lost because Van Persie and his striking partner, Emmanuel Adebayor, presented more of a challenge than Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou and, now they are reunited, perhaps Arsenal will, too.
Arsenal are not out of these woods yet and when chaos crowded in on what should have been a simple transition from defence to attack in the first half, it appeared the downward spiral was to continue. Almunia collected a corner from Lampard, but threw the ball wildly, turning what should have been an Arsenal counter into more Chelsea pressure. Bosingwa collected the loose ball, fed Anelka, made a good run for the return pass and his cross was turned into Arsenal’s net by the hapless Djourou, stretching at the near post.
So Chelsea did get the odd good break, and had Lampard not snatched at a chance set up by Anelka in the 51st minute, shooting wide, it might have been different. Instead, Chelsea paid for failing to impose their game and, with such a slim margin between the teams, were exposed by a combination of an assistant referee’s inert flag and Arsenal’s highly ert* Dutchman, Van Persie, who struck twice in three minutes to win the game.
Adebayor won a header against Branislav Ivanovic, who looks no replacement for Alex, let alone Carvalho, and Denilson fed the ball through to Van Persie, who made the most of an assistant referee’s error to finish smartly past Petr Cech. From Arsenal’s next attack, a free kick by Cesc Fàbregas, Adebayor rose above John Obi Mikel and Van Persie lost Lampard to strike an excellent shot on the turn. In recent weeks, Chelsea have looked susceptible to aerial attack, a poor show considering the size of the team.
Arsenal must hope normal service is not resumed against Wigan Athletic at home on Saturday, while Chelsea can only ask for a favour from their old boys, Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, who take their West Ham United team to Anfield to face Liverpool this evening. Much like waiting on that apology from Dean, Scolari would not be advised to hold his breath.
* Yes, I know, but there should be.
Chelsea (4-1-3-1-1): P Cech 7 - J Bosingwa 6, B Ivanovic 5, J Terry 6, A Cole 6 - J O Mikel 5 - M Ballack 6, F Lampard 6, Deco 4 - S Kalou 6 - N Anelka 5. Substitutes: F Malouda 4 (for Mikel, 69min), M Stoch (for Deco, 80). Not used: Hilário, W Bridge, P Ferreira, Mineiro, Alex. Next: Bolton (a).
Arsenal (4-4-1-1): M Almunia 6 - B Sagna 7, W Gallas 8, J Djourou 6, G Clichy 7 - Denilson 6, F Fàbregas 7, A Song 6, S Nasri 6 - R van Persie 8 - E Adebayor 7. Substitute: N Bendtner (for Adebayor, 86). Not used: L Fabianski, C Vela, A Ramsey, M Silvestre, J Wilshere, K Gibbs. Next: Wigan (h).
Referee: M Dean Attendance: 41,760
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Telegraph:
Robin van Persie double gives Arsenal victory over Chelsea at Stamford BridgeChelsea (1) 1 Arsenal (0) 2 By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
As the final whistle concluded this extraordinary derby collision, William Gallas stared at the Chelsea fans, saw their hand signals, heard their abusive cries, and a smug smile flickered across his face. Once again, the Frenchman was leaving the Bridge under acrimonious circumstances. Hell hath no fury like a fan scorned and Gallas revelled in the discomfort of those who once lauded his name.
Gallas wandered across to the referee, shook hands, and strolled on to the Arsenal fans leaping around joyously in the Shed. He ripped off his shirt and launched it into the heaving mass. How fortunes change. A week ago, those same supporters would probably have thrown it back, following his critical comments about team-mates like Robin van Persie, but the memory of all manner of misdemeanours was forgotten in the adrenalin rush of a famous derby triumph.
Arsenal's deposed captain pumped up the fans even more, punching the air as they sang his name in praise. As Gallas walked along the touchline, a lone Chelsea fan applauded him but the reception turned ugly as he neared the tunnel. A group of 10 Chelsea supporters gave him fearful abuse, leaning over the hoardings to gesticulate their disapproval. Gallas remained stoic, smiled and ambled on. Only in the tunnel, did he let rip, screaming "yes''.
The joy of football is that it provides regular shots at redemption, so that Gallas could try – successfully – to win back the affection of the Arsenal fans. He may not get on with Van Persie, and hardly played a prominent part in celebrating the Dutchman's two goals, but victory, more than time, is the great healer in football.
Now the debate over dressing-room harmony switches from Arsenal to Chelsea. Now the spotlight will turn on the training-ground methods of Luiz Felipe Scolari. A World Cup-winner with Brazil, Scolari is new to coaching a European club full of stars who enjoy variety in their daily drills.
In the mad world of modern football, someone is always under scrutiny yet the increasingly harsh focus on Scolari appears ludicrously premature. Chelsea remain top of the Premier League, certainly until Liverpool host West Ham on Monday, and have scored more and conceded fewer than anyone else. Some crisis.
Yet Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, faces some lively questions when announcing a sponsorship deal on Monday morning. For a club wanting to take over the world, Chelsea must take over London first. This shock derby defeat highlighted certain concerns. At a time when the pound seems to be losing value, the coin that Didier Drogba threw at Burnley fans becomes ever more expensive. How Chelsea missed the suspended striker yesterday.
Nicolas Anelka rarely seems to trouble the bigger sides, and the Frenchman certainly did not alarm Gallas or Johan Djourou unduly. Scolari's other attacking options, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou, also failed to impress.
Arsenal were hardly over-blessed with attacking talent, particularly with Eduardo and Theo Walcott still returning from injury and Emmanuel Adebayor wandering around one of west London's more famous sights like a tourist for an hour, but they had Van Persie.
His contribution, striking twice either side of half-time, making Djourou's earlier own goal a distant memory, was vital as Arsenal's usual source of succour, Cesc Fabregas, again played within himself. No one knows whether the captaincy is truly inhibiting him, but the usually dynamic Spaniard disappeared for long periods of a compelling game yesterday.
News that the Premier League are close to putting out tenders for the next TV deal may seem strangely timed, given the global recession, but the appetite for spectacles like this will never dim. Derbies are rarely demure tea parties, unless of the Boston variety, and this one heaved with passion.
The match itself was rarely nasty, barring a filthy two-footed lunge by John Terry on Bacary Sagna that deserved a red but received only yellow. Mainly, the enmity swirled around the terraces. Arsene Wenger was forced to endure a particularly poisonous chant, one he usually hears only at Old Trafford. When taking corners in the first half, Frank Lampard received endless invective from a group of Arsenal fans, who also vilified Ashley Cole.
But it was a former Chelsea player who stirred most vitriol. "And welcome back – William Gallas'', the Bridge announcer had ventured rather ambitiously. The race to drown out his words was won narrowly by the Matthew Harding Stand fractionally ahead of the East Stand.
Chelsea's dislike of Gallas nearly deepened further within a couple of minutes. In pushing out a Fabregas shot, Petr Cech almost diverted the ball onto Gallas, who was unmarked 10 yards out. Worryingly for Chelsea, Arsenal had settled the quicker, Fabregas gliding around John Obi Mikel but shooting straight at Cech.
For those who question whether Scolari can tweak his tactics during a match, a slightly surprising criticism of a coach who has masterminded a World Cup triumph and tipped England out of three tournaments, the Brazilian acted impressively midway through the half, pushing Kalou further forward and urging Jose Bosingwa to provide all the width down the left.
Bosingwa immediately whipped in a magnificent cross that Frank Lampard, timing his run with typical precision, headed powerfully goalwards. Having saved smartly then, Manuel Almunia erred badly on the half-hour. He rolled the ball out towards Samir Nasri but Bosingwa nicked it. Mikel took charge, finding Anelka, who released Bosingwa in down the right. He drilled in a cross that was low and hard and designed to cause carnage. Djourou panicked, attempting to clear but managing only to divert the ball past Almunia.
Fortunately for Arsenal, Van Persie never stopped showing for the ball, never stopped believing that some reward could be eked from unpromising circumstances. Just before the hour, Adebayor woke up, heading the ball to Nasri, who found Denilson. As the Brazilian slipped the ball through, Van Persie was clearly offside. Mike Dean waved play on, mysteriously, allowing the Dutchman to beat Cech with a strong right-footed finish.
Having lost their lead, Chelsea lost their composure. Terry stormed into Sagna and another Chelsea indiscretion gifted Arsenal a free-kick on the left. Fabregas lifted the ball into the box where Adebayor outjumped Mikel, heading down to Van Persie. Arsenal's No 11 swivelled and swept a low shot between Lampard's legs and in. Drogba cannot return soon enough.
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Independent:
Van Persie double stuns Chelsea
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2
By Sam Wallace
It was not so long ago that Stamford Bridge was regarded as the kind of stadium where all away teams – famous or humble – came to lie down and die. But yesterday it was the Arsenal players who took their leave bare-chested and belligerent, tossing their shirts into the crowd and generally swaggering about the place as if they owned it, which, for one afternoon, you could say that they did.
Their victory was something of a miracle, thanks in no small part to a bizarre decision by the referee Mike Dean to allow Robin van Persie's first goal to stand despite it being offside. But let us lay that aside for a moment and draw an early-season conclusion: Big Phil is not doing very well in the big games. Luiz Felipe Scolari can complain about the referee as much as he likes – and he certainly did his best on that score yesterday – but the record against his three big rivals does not make happy reading
Under Scolari this season, Chelsea have lost at home to two of their three big rivals – Liverpool and now Arsenal – and they managed only a draw against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. At times like this it is easy to forget that Scolari's team are still top of the Premier League – until tonight at least – but this season the terms of engagement are different. Fortune changes in an instant. Form is temporary. And amid all this chaos Chelsea find themselves in a period of difficulty that we still hesitate to call a crisis.
That indomitable 86-game unbeaten league run at home feels like a distant memory when they toss games away like this. Chelsea were in control, ahead through Johan Djourou's first-half own goal, when they lost their grip in a three-minute period on the hour during which Van Persie scored twice.
This irresponsible crashing from triumph to disaster is what we expect of Arsène Wenger's side, not the shock troops of Scolari's squad who, in two title-winning seasons with Jose Mourinho, dropped only 12 points at home.
As for Wenger's side, it is impossible now to gauge whether to take them seriously: they succumb to Stoke, Hull and Fulham but bring on Chelsea and United and the story is different. Even William Gallas threw his shirt into the away fans at the end of the game and did not have it tossed back into his face.
The former Arsenal captain was impressive, nonetheless, but no one in a red shirt was more competitive and as uncompromising as the match-winner Van Persie.
For periods, Wenger was consumed by rage, not towards the opposition or the referee, but his own team. There were even times when he seemed to be sulking in protest at another erratic, unpredictable performance from Arsenal, yet he was on his feet with clenched fists at the final whistle. But as a football man he will know his side found an unlikely escape yesterday against a Chelsea team who simply neglected to close this game out when they had the chance.
It is rare for Deco to play as poorly as he did yesterday and stranger still that a Chelsea manager should look around him for an attacking substitute and find a kid from the academy as his only option on the bench.
Miroslav Stoch looked like the mascot when he came on, the only card Scolari had to play as his team struggled to find their rhythm after Van Persie's second goal. In the meantime, Didier Drogba sat in the stands listening to his iPod, watching another fine mess in his absence.
It was not a result that looked on the cards when Wenger's side enraged their manager by sloppily conceding the first goal. A bad throw from Manuel Almunia to Samir Nasri was anticipated by Jose Bosingwa and possession was turned around quickly. The ball went from Jon Obi Mikel to Nicolas Anelka and back to Bosingwa whose cross to the near post was put into his own net by Djourou under pressure from Salomon Kalou.
Chelsea had easily the better of the first half. Their dominant player was Mikel who would later lose Emmanuel Adebayor at the free-kick that brought Arsenal's winner. Van Persie created the only half-decent Arsenal chance of the first half when his shot was saved by Petr Cech and fell just behind Gallas. The abuse from the Chelsea fans for their old boy was pretty unrelenting; ditto that from the Arsenal fans to Ashley Cole. The most repugnant of all, however, was the chant directed from Chelsea fans at Wenger.
There was an appalling dive from Denilson in the Chelsea area when he was being tracked by Ashley Cole, which the referee was wise to ignore, and it was difficult to see from where the revival would come. It came from referee Dean's oversight when Van Persie was played in by Denilson.
The striker was not just a knee or a shoulder offside; there was clear daylight between the Dutch striker and the last Chelsea defender. So much so that when Van Persie hit his shot past Cech, Denilson looked long and hard at the linesman before he decided it was worth joining the celebrations.
It was barely credible and Chelsea reacted badly. Rampaging forward, John Terry lost control of the ball and was booked for a two-footed lunge on Bacary Sagna. Then Arsenal scored for the second time in three minutes. Cesc Fabregas hit a free-kick from left to right that was headed down by Adebayor and, despite running away from goal and under pressure from Frank Lampard, Van Persie swivelled and hit his shot first time past Cech.
Chelsea failed to react. Deco's replacement by Stoch told the Portuguese midfielder all he needed to know about his own performance. Florent Malouda miscued dreadfully with a volley and there was a sense of foreboding about the place. It will be no consolation here that this result only serves to make this season's title race even more absorbing.
Goals: Djourou og (og30) 1-0; Van Persie (59) 1-1; Van Persie (62) 1-2.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, A Cole; Mikel (Malouda, 70); Kalou, Lampard, Ballack, Deco (Stoch, 81); Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Bridge, Ferreira, Miniero, Alex.
Arsenal (4-4-1-1): Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy; Denilson, Fabregas, Song, Nasri; Van Persie; Adebayor (Bendtner, 83). Substitutes not used: Fabianski (gk), Vela, Ramsey, Silvestre, Wilshere, Bendtner, Gibbs.
Booked: Terry, Ivanovic.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Man of the match: Van Persie.
Attendance: 41,760
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Guardian:
Van Persie finds killer touch as Arsenal prove it takes the best to bring out their finestGuardian report Min-by-min Match facts Premier LeagueChelsea 1 Djourou (og) 30 Arsenal 2 van Persie 59, van Persie 62
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
Robin Van Persie, right, celebrates after scoring Arsenal's first goal at Stamford Bridge. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
This is proving an unforgettable season for Arsenal. Fans would prefer not to be carrying around recollections of losses to Hull and Stoke, but there are also memories to cherish. This victory is a companion piece to the win over Manchester United at the Emirates three weeks ago. The mightier the opposition the better the prospects for Arsène Wenger's squad.
If Arsenal were in crisis then the anguish has now passed to Luiz Felipe Scolari. The Brazilian does have his grievances since the visitors' equaliser, the first of Robin van Persie's goals, should have been ruled offside. Scolari's Chelsea had already seen Liverpool take three points at Stamford Bridge, to say nothing of defeat by Burnley in the League Cup, before the arrival of Arsenal. All the same, there is sympathy for the manager. In part, he is a victim of changing times. This is no longer a club of unlimited resources. So long as the fitness of the presently suspended Didier Drogba is in question, Scolari has, in Nicolas Anelka, a single proven striker at his disposal.
He would have no complaints about the presence here of Michael Ballack, Deco and Frank Lampard as his attacking midfielders, but the Englishman, at the age of 30, was the youngest of them. If there was to be zest, it had to emanate from the overlapping right-back Jose Bosingwa. The January transfer market commonly proves barren for managers but it also appears, in any case, that Scolari would have to raise funds by offloading players.
It is a little while since Arsenal's circumstances were enviable, but the energy of youth was an asset here. Although they are not yet at the same standard as some streamlined predecessors, it is this batch that has delivered their club's first win on this ground since the 'invincible' season of 2003-04. The circumstances in which that was achieved rankle with Chelsea.
Scolari is normally gracious and he embraced Wenger at the end, but he also deplored the officials. With the score at 0-0, a tight call after five minutes went against Salomon Kalou wrongly and there would have been less sympathy with a linesman's erroneous verdict on Van Persie in the 59th minute. He was behind the defence when Denilson set him up in a move that had also involved Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fábregas. The Dutchman kept his mind fixed on the task and lashed a shot home with his weaker right foot.
Chelsea were dismayed and fragile. Three minutes later, Adebayor knocked down a Fábregas set-piece and Van Persie drilled the ball past the left hand of Petr Cech. For all we know, the deposed captain William Gallas could conceivably develop a soft spot for the Dutchman.
Van Persie's execution had been unanswerable at each goal, but the opposition's concentration did wobble at the clincher. While that would hitherto have been classified as an aberration for Chelsea, minds currently seem to have a habit of wandering. During the midweek draw in Bordeaux, Lampard and John Terry lost concentration at critical moments.
Yesterday, Arsenal had superior endurance. They bore the concession of a markedly stupid opener in the 31st minute. Manuel Almunia, attempting a quick throw-out, hurled the ball too far. The visitors, unexpectedly, were at immediate risk. With devastating fluency, Chelsea's Bosingwa linked with Mikel John Obi and Anelka before having possession returned to him. His lethal low cross was turned into his own net by Johan Djourou.
After all that has afflicted Arsenal in this campaign, they could have slithered into defeatism. It is to their credit that there was no such despair, but Chelsea also nursed the revival by being so colourless. Anelka drew a blank here as the realisation grew that his prolific efforts until now have masked limitations. Scolari did not have another credible finisher in attack.
That accounts, in some degree, for the fact that, at home, they have a solitary point to show for their three home fixtures against English representatives in the Champions League. Even that draw had come when Manchester United were in sight of victory at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal closed off all the escape routes here.
Both clubs have their injury problems, but it was Chelsea who were compelled to give a debut to a 19-year-old when the Slovakian Miroslav Stoch took over from Deco. That was a desperate step for a manager, yet Scolari felt it worth taking.
It was notable that Almunia had very little to do over the course of the afternoon. Cech had more to concern himself with even though Chelsea looked the sounder team. There were saves to make then, with a possibility that Gallas might break the deadlock in the 14th minute. The centre-back did not connect when Cech beat out a Samir Nasri attempt in his direction.
The former Chelsea player, though, carried out his regular duties perfectly. Perhaps it will suit Gallas that he no longer bears the armband, because he has always seemed too quirky and erratic figure for that role. Many things fell into place for Wenger yesterday.
Man of the match Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
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Mail:
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2: Superb Van Persie brace puts Gunners back in title raceBy Matt Lawton
After more than four years without losing a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge, here was a second defeat in four weeks and what amounted to yet another worrying performance for this stuttering Chelsea side.
The fourth such performance, in fact, after they stole a draw against Manchester United, lost to Liverpool and then travelled to Rome for what proved a chastening Champions League experience.
And that's not to mention the Carling Cup exit to Burnley.
No wonder the alarm goes off when the home side are beaten here, as it did during Rafa Benitez's press conference last month and did so again shortly before Arsene Wenger appeared for his postmatch briefing.
Wenger would still swap this result for Chelsea's points total and that is worth remembering before Luiz Felipe Scolari joins Roy Keane as the Barclays Premier League manager now most likely to lose his job. He side remain top, at least until Liverpool meet West Ham at Anfield tonight, and are only a victory against CFR Cluj from the last 16 of the Champions League.
But this will concern Scolari when Arsenal did not have to play terribly well to beat a side who, although suffering in the absence of Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho, are looking rather too predictable.
For reasons even Scolari says he cannot explain, they seem to have lost the ability to adapt to the demands placed upon them by the better opponents. In 10 games they have won just four times.
Scolari did his best to divert attention from his players' shortcomings on to the the match officials. To a degree he was right.
They did allow Robin van Persie to score the first of his goals, and so equalise, by failing to spot that Arsenal's Dutch striker was offside when Denilson delivered the ball to his feet. But the statistics do not reflect well on Chelsea when they managed just one effort on target, Frank Lampard's 24th-minute header.
Their goal would come seven minutes after that when Johan Djourou showed his relative inexperience by turning a Jose Bosingwa cross into his own net.
After that, however, Chelsea offered almost nothing in attack, as a watching Drogba no doubt noted from beneath his hat.Arsenal were not a great deal better, it has to be said, but they did display the kind of qualities that Petr Cech foolishly accused them of lacking in the build-up to this game.
William Gallas was right, he suggested. They have no fight and they have no bottle. Well, battling back from a goal down at Stamford Bridge to win 2-1 was quite a riposte.
Gallas went to shake Cech's hand afterwards, and one can imagine what he might have said. Thanks, Pete, for the support as well as the inspiration. Cech still has a point, though, and so does Gallas.
Arsenal have secured some impressive results this season, beating United at the Emirates as well as this win here. But what does it say about them when they lost three of their four League games prior to this encounter and have lost to Fulham, Hull, Stoke, Aston Villa and Manchester City?
'It is part of a learning process,' insisted Wenger, even if the same excuse was used last season, and the season before that. For Arsenal, this was an impressive response.
Gallas, as Wenger was so keen to point out, has responded admirably to being stripped of the captaincy. He did well against Dynamo Kiev in the week and yesterday, in the words of his manager, was 'outstanding'.
And if Van Persie was central to the controversy that was sparked by the outspoken Gallas, the incident has done nothing to dull his enthusiasm.
If his first goal was fortuitous, it remained a fine finish that was then followed by another marvellous effort three minutes later. While Chelsea count the cost of the suspended Drogba's coin-throwing antics, they had nobody in Van Persie's class.
Nicolas Anelka was disappointing, Deco desperately poor. Even Lampard and Michael Ballack lacked their usual attacking verve. Arsenal were the more dangerous of the sides from the very start, with Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie both forcing fine saves from Cech in theopening 45 minutes.
But when Manuel Almunia's poor throw was won by Bosingwa in the 31st minute, a swiftly-executed move ended with the Portuguese fullback delivering a cross that Djourou, in an effort to stop it reaching Salomon Kalou, guided past his goalkeeper.
An outrageous dive from Denilson also escaped the attention of Mike Dean, but Scolari was complaining only about the failure of the referee and his assistant to identify Van Persie's position when Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder delivered his 59th-minute pass.
Scolari said it 'killed' his team, which does not say a lot for their ability to cope with adversity.
But it appears it did, judging by the way they then conceded Van Persie's second.
After Fabregas floated a free-kick forward it was the ease with which Emmanuel Adebayor won the first header that would have disappointed Chelsea's manager, even if the quality of Van Persie's shot on the turn was truly breathtaking.
How They Lined UpCHELSEA (4-1-2-2-1): Cech 7, Bosingwa 6, Ivanovic 5, Terry 6, A Cole 6, Mikel 5; (Malouda 70min 5), Ballack 6, Lampard 6, Deco 3 (Stoch 81 5), Kalou 6, Anelka 5.Booked: Terry, Ivanovic.
ARSENAL (4-4-2): Almunia 6, Sagna 7, Gallas 8, Djourou 5, Clichy 7, Denilson 6;Fabregas, 7, Song, 6, Nasri 6;,Van Persie 8, Adebayor 6 (Bendtner 83).
Man of the match: William Gallas.
Referee: Mike Dean.
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Sun:
From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge
Published: 30 Nov 2008 ARSENAL love Robin’ from the rich at football’s top table.
If only they could stop giving to the poor they would be right in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners added Chelsea to the scalp of Manchester United in a baffling start to the season which has also seen them lose to the likes of Hull, Fulham and Stoke.
It was their very own Robin Hood, Robin van Persie, who plundered the spoils from a shell-shocked Blues.
The Dutchman scored twice — the first clearly offside — in the space of three minutes around the hour mark to turn this game on its head after Chelsea had apparently been on their way to victory when Johan Djourou put through his own goal in the first half.
Not many expected this result, especially the bookies who were quoting Arsenal at odds as long as 5-1 to win.
But with the return of Emmanuel Adebayor after a lengthy injury absence and Van Persie finding his way back to form this was a reinvigorated Gunners.
Adebayor has been badly missed and he figured in both goals.
You feel Chelsea could do with their most potent attacking weapon, Didier Drogba, back too.
Love him or hate him, Drogba gives Chelsea an extra aggressive edge which was lacking here.
When he hasn’t been off talking to Inter Milan about a transfer, Drogba has been either injured or suspended and, while Nicolas Anelka has discovered the route to goal, there is no substitute for the Drog.
The Blues have only lost two Premier League home games in 4½ years but both have come under new boss Phil Scolari in the space of just over a month — the other being against Liverpool.
Jose Mourinho did not lose a single league game at Stamford Bridge in his entire reign.
And Scolari is developing an unwanted reputation for failing to do the business against the big boys, having also slipped up with a home draw against Manchester United.
They could not make the most of the comedy of errors from Arsenal which gifted them the lead.
Keeper Manuel Almunia caught the ball and bowled it out into no-man’s-land to the surprise of right-back Jose Boswinga, who collected and stormed forward.
The Portuguese defender exchanged passes with Anelka and fired in a low cross which was turned in at the near post by the unfortunate Djourou — a Swiss with particularly bad timing.
It was a goal symptomatic of the Gunners’ troubles this season where they have been guilty of numerous defensive errors. But Van Persie signalled Arsenal were not going to simply accept another defeat and his shot on the turn tested Petr Cech, who saved well to his left.
Chelsea lost their way and their finishing was none too clever, either, with Anelka putting a diving header well wide and the usually reliable Frank Lampard shooting badly wide from 20 yards — a position where he invariably buries the ball in the bottom corner.
Arsenal were back in it on 59 minutes when Adebayor leapt to win a header and Samir Nasri fed Denilson.
The midfielder chested down and played in Van Persie, who was offside, but the flag never came and he rattled the equaliser high into the net.
Scolari did some moaning about that one afterwards and about another decision when Salomon Kalou was through on goal only to be given offside when he was onside.
The Brazilian insisted: “We lost today because one goal was not a goal — and it was a goal which changed the result.”
So at least one thing is clear — he may not be getting Mourinho’s results but he is starting to whinge like him.
A stunned Chelsea crowd were rocked again when Adebayor climbed high once more to find Van Persie, who spun round brilliantly and smacked a low drive between Lampard’s legs and just inside the post.
Manager Arsene Wenger, who has kept faith with his beleaguered troops throughout this difficult campaign, was off the bench celebrating — which is a rare sight this season.
And he had little cause for concern as the clock ticked down and Chelsea ran out of ideas.
William Gallas, making his return to the Bridge, won praise from Wenger for his part in keeping Chelsea at bay.
But the behaviour of Gallas, who was sacked as Arsenal captain for criticising his team-mates, was as curious as ever.
On each Arsenal goal he merely trotted back to his position for the kick-off while his team-mates engulfed Van Persie.
Then, at full-time, he strolled to the match officials to shake their hands while his team-mates jumped all over one other.
But then Gallas walked towards the corner where the Arsenal fans were congregated and threw his shirt into the throng while half of his team-mates followed suit in an apparent display of unity.
“William Gallas is a red, he hates Chelsea,” sang the ecstatic Gunners fans.
Could it be that Arsenal are on the way back, all pulling together in the same direction?
The acid test will come next week when the small fry are back in town — it’s Wigan at home.
Robin van Persie gives Arsenal new sense of beliefChelsea 1 Arsenal 2
Martin Samuel
At the end, they celebrated in warrior style, shirts off and thrown to the crowd, chests out, muscles rippling, straining against the material of sweat-soaked undergarments. We have seen this emotion from Chelsea before, marking big victories in the battlefields of the north; but this was Arsenal, delivering against the odds once again this season and relishing the moment, extracting every last drop of adrenalin from it.
Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said to win at Stamford Bridge showed the character of his team, and he meant it as a positive. Yet, equally, it could be argued that players capable of beating Manchester United and Chelsea this season but unable to get the better of Stoke City, Aston Villa and Manchester City are showing character of a more worrying sort: that of the big-time Charlie. Wenger, at all times a thinking man, had an answer for that, too. “Sometimes part of the learning process is to find out how to win when you are not on the edge,” he said. “We were there today and, in other matches, it will not be the same. I have an intelligent group, though, and they must learn how to win every type of game. Just to turn up is not good enough.”
Arsenal turned up yesterday, though, certainly after half-time. Not necessarily in the style expected of them, all dash and panache, passing Chelsea off the pitch, but in the manner of one of those admirable, battling teams who get an advantage, not entirely on merit, and defend it. This was an Arsenal seldom seen, eye-catching players doing grimly determined jobs. Samir Nasri, wide on the left, barely featured in an attacking move, but he boxed José Bosingwa in the right-back position, when his wing game has been such a feature of Chelsea’s forward play this season.
Arsenal’s back line was magnificent, save for Johan Djourou’s own goal after 29 minutes, with William Gallas the star. His reception at Stamford Bridge was as hostile as could be expected, yet he rose above it to deliver — irony of ironies — the captain’s performance that was so often missing when he wore the armband. His celebrations were particularly passionate at the end. Only time will tell if this was too little, or too late.
The result propelled Arsenal back to fourth place, but they are not re-established as title contenders yet, trailing Chelsea by seven points. The club should prepare for a few sackloads of fan mail from Merseyside, however, for what Arsenal most certainly are this season are Liverpool’s allies. Their past five league results have been of perfect benefit to Rafael Benítez and his players, with wins against Liverpool’s title rivals, Chelsea and United, and three soft defeats neatly undermining their own cause.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, blamed the officials for the defeat and hoped for an apology this morning, but if Mike Dean, the referee, and his assistants do express regret, they should add that they are also sorry that Chelsea had only one shot at goal all match, did not create a chance after Arsenal’s first goal, had their best striker in the stands because of his own foolishness and have only one way of playing, which the rest of the Premier League would appear to have worked out. This result went far deeper than a shout for offside when Robin van Persie equalised, and it did Scolari scant credit that he was prepared to join the ranks of the disgruntled now that his luck has changed.
Yes, Van Persie did look offside when he scored his first goal after 58 minutes, but there were another 36 minutes, including stoppage time, left to play when this occurred and Chelsea’s failure to create a single scoring opportunity in that period is not the fault of the officials. Chelsea lost yesterday because they lacked imagination and were little threat to Manuel Almunia in Arsenal’s goal. They lost because Deco has gone completely off the boil, Michael Ballack is feeling his way back after injury, and Frank Lampard cannot do it all on his own. They lost because, without Ricardo Carvalho, they are defensively vulnerable. They lost because Scolari is in desperate need of plan B. They lost because, with Didier Drogba suspended, there was no impact to be made from the bench. They lost because Van Persie and his striking partner, Emmanuel Adebayor, presented more of a challenge than Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou and, now they are reunited, perhaps Arsenal will, too.
Arsenal are not out of these woods yet and when chaos crowded in on what should have been a simple transition from defence to attack in the first half, it appeared the downward spiral was to continue. Almunia collected a corner from Lampard, but threw the ball wildly, turning what should have been an Arsenal counter into more Chelsea pressure. Bosingwa collected the loose ball, fed Anelka, made a good run for the return pass and his cross was turned into Arsenal’s net by the hapless Djourou, stretching at the near post.
So Chelsea did get the odd good break, and had Lampard not snatched at a chance set up by Anelka in the 51st minute, shooting wide, it might have been different. Instead, Chelsea paid for failing to impose their game and, with such a slim margin between the teams, were exposed by a combination of an assistant referee’s inert flag and Arsenal’s highly ert* Dutchman, Van Persie, who struck twice in three minutes to win the game.
Adebayor won a header against Branislav Ivanovic, who looks no replacement for Alex, let alone Carvalho, and Denilson fed the ball through to Van Persie, who made the most of an assistant referee’s error to finish smartly past Petr Cech. From Arsenal’s next attack, a free kick by Cesc Fàbregas, Adebayor rose above John Obi Mikel and Van Persie lost Lampard to strike an excellent shot on the turn. In recent weeks, Chelsea have looked susceptible to aerial attack, a poor show considering the size of the team.
Arsenal must hope normal service is not resumed against Wigan Athletic at home on Saturday, while Chelsea can only ask for a favour from their old boys, Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, who take their West Ham United team to Anfield to face Liverpool this evening. Much like waiting on that apology from Dean, Scolari would not be advised to hold his breath.
* Yes, I know, but there should be.
Chelsea (4-1-3-1-1): P Cech 7 - J Bosingwa 6, B Ivanovic 5, J Terry 6, A Cole 6 - J O Mikel 5 - M Ballack 6, F Lampard 6, Deco 4 - S Kalou 6 - N Anelka 5. Substitutes: F Malouda 4 (for Mikel, 69min), M Stoch (for Deco, 80). Not used: Hilário, W Bridge, P Ferreira, Mineiro, Alex. Next: Bolton (a).
Arsenal (4-4-1-1): M Almunia 6 - B Sagna 7, W Gallas 8, J Djourou 6, G Clichy 7 - Denilson 6, F Fàbregas 7, A Song 6, S Nasri 6 - R van Persie 8 - E Adebayor 7. Substitute: N Bendtner (for Adebayor, 86). Not used: L Fabianski, C Vela, A Ramsey, M Silvestre, J Wilshere, K Gibbs. Next: Wigan (h).
Referee: M Dean Attendance: 41,760
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Telegraph:
Robin van Persie double gives Arsenal victory over Chelsea at Stamford BridgeChelsea (1) 1 Arsenal (0) 2 By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
As the final whistle concluded this extraordinary derby collision, William Gallas stared at the Chelsea fans, saw their hand signals, heard their abusive cries, and a smug smile flickered across his face. Once again, the Frenchman was leaving the Bridge under acrimonious circumstances. Hell hath no fury like a fan scorned and Gallas revelled in the discomfort of those who once lauded his name.
Gallas wandered across to the referee, shook hands, and strolled on to the Arsenal fans leaping around joyously in the Shed. He ripped off his shirt and launched it into the heaving mass. How fortunes change. A week ago, those same supporters would probably have thrown it back, following his critical comments about team-mates like Robin van Persie, but the memory of all manner of misdemeanours was forgotten in the adrenalin rush of a famous derby triumph.
Arsenal's deposed captain pumped up the fans even more, punching the air as they sang his name in praise. As Gallas walked along the touchline, a lone Chelsea fan applauded him but the reception turned ugly as he neared the tunnel. A group of 10 Chelsea supporters gave him fearful abuse, leaning over the hoardings to gesticulate their disapproval. Gallas remained stoic, smiled and ambled on. Only in the tunnel, did he let rip, screaming "yes''.
The joy of football is that it provides regular shots at redemption, so that Gallas could try – successfully – to win back the affection of the Arsenal fans. He may not get on with Van Persie, and hardly played a prominent part in celebrating the Dutchman's two goals, but victory, more than time, is the great healer in football.
Now the debate over dressing-room harmony switches from Arsenal to Chelsea. Now the spotlight will turn on the training-ground methods of Luiz Felipe Scolari. A World Cup-winner with Brazil, Scolari is new to coaching a European club full of stars who enjoy variety in their daily drills.
In the mad world of modern football, someone is always under scrutiny yet the increasingly harsh focus on Scolari appears ludicrously premature. Chelsea remain top of the Premier League, certainly until Liverpool host West Ham on Monday, and have scored more and conceded fewer than anyone else. Some crisis.
Yet Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, faces some lively questions when announcing a sponsorship deal on Monday morning. For a club wanting to take over the world, Chelsea must take over London first. This shock derby defeat highlighted certain concerns. At a time when the pound seems to be losing value, the coin that Didier Drogba threw at Burnley fans becomes ever more expensive. How Chelsea missed the suspended striker yesterday.
Nicolas Anelka rarely seems to trouble the bigger sides, and the Frenchman certainly did not alarm Gallas or Johan Djourou unduly. Scolari's other attacking options, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou, also failed to impress.
Arsenal were hardly over-blessed with attacking talent, particularly with Eduardo and Theo Walcott still returning from injury and Emmanuel Adebayor wandering around one of west London's more famous sights like a tourist for an hour, but they had Van Persie.
His contribution, striking twice either side of half-time, making Djourou's earlier own goal a distant memory, was vital as Arsenal's usual source of succour, Cesc Fabregas, again played within himself. No one knows whether the captaincy is truly inhibiting him, but the usually dynamic Spaniard disappeared for long periods of a compelling game yesterday.
News that the Premier League are close to putting out tenders for the next TV deal may seem strangely timed, given the global recession, but the appetite for spectacles like this will never dim. Derbies are rarely demure tea parties, unless of the Boston variety, and this one heaved with passion.
The match itself was rarely nasty, barring a filthy two-footed lunge by John Terry on Bacary Sagna that deserved a red but received only yellow. Mainly, the enmity swirled around the terraces. Arsene Wenger was forced to endure a particularly poisonous chant, one he usually hears only at Old Trafford. When taking corners in the first half, Frank Lampard received endless invective from a group of Arsenal fans, who also vilified Ashley Cole.
But it was a former Chelsea player who stirred most vitriol. "And welcome back – William Gallas'', the Bridge announcer had ventured rather ambitiously. The race to drown out his words was won narrowly by the Matthew Harding Stand fractionally ahead of the East Stand.
Chelsea's dislike of Gallas nearly deepened further within a couple of minutes. In pushing out a Fabregas shot, Petr Cech almost diverted the ball onto Gallas, who was unmarked 10 yards out. Worryingly for Chelsea, Arsenal had settled the quicker, Fabregas gliding around John Obi Mikel but shooting straight at Cech.
For those who question whether Scolari can tweak his tactics during a match, a slightly surprising criticism of a coach who has masterminded a World Cup triumph and tipped England out of three tournaments, the Brazilian acted impressively midway through the half, pushing Kalou further forward and urging Jose Bosingwa to provide all the width down the left.
Bosingwa immediately whipped in a magnificent cross that Frank Lampard, timing his run with typical precision, headed powerfully goalwards. Having saved smartly then, Manuel Almunia erred badly on the half-hour. He rolled the ball out towards Samir Nasri but Bosingwa nicked it. Mikel took charge, finding Anelka, who released Bosingwa in down the right. He drilled in a cross that was low and hard and designed to cause carnage. Djourou panicked, attempting to clear but managing only to divert the ball past Almunia.
Fortunately for Arsenal, Van Persie never stopped showing for the ball, never stopped believing that some reward could be eked from unpromising circumstances. Just before the hour, Adebayor woke up, heading the ball to Nasri, who found Denilson. As the Brazilian slipped the ball through, Van Persie was clearly offside. Mike Dean waved play on, mysteriously, allowing the Dutchman to beat Cech with a strong right-footed finish.
Having lost their lead, Chelsea lost their composure. Terry stormed into Sagna and another Chelsea indiscretion gifted Arsenal a free-kick on the left. Fabregas lifted the ball into the box where Adebayor outjumped Mikel, heading down to Van Persie. Arsenal's No 11 swivelled and swept a low shot between Lampard's legs and in. Drogba cannot return soon enough.
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Independent:
Van Persie double stuns Chelsea
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2
By Sam Wallace
It was not so long ago that Stamford Bridge was regarded as the kind of stadium where all away teams – famous or humble – came to lie down and die. But yesterday it was the Arsenal players who took their leave bare-chested and belligerent, tossing their shirts into the crowd and generally swaggering about the place as if they owned it, which, for one afternoon, you could say that they did.
Their victory was something of a miracle, thanks in no small part to a bizarre decision by the referee Mike Dean to allow Robin van Persie's first goal to stand despite it being offside. But let us lay that aside for a moment and draw an early-season conclusion: Big Phil is not doing very well in the big games. Luiz Felipe Scolari can complain about the referee as much as he likes – and he certainly did his best on that score yesterday – but the record against his three big rivals does not make happy reading
Under Scolari this season, Chelsea have lost at home to two of their three big rivals – Liverpool and now Arsenal – and they managed only a draw against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. At times like this it is easy to forget that Scolari's team are still top of the Premier League – until tonight at least – but this season the terms of engagement are different. Fortune changes in an instant. Form is temporary. And amid all this chaos Chelsea find themselves in a period of difficulty that we still hesitate to call a crisis.
That indomitable 86-game unbeaten league run at home feels like a distant memory when they toss games away like this. Chelsea were in control, ahead through Johan Djourou's first-half own goal, when they lost their grip in a three-minute period on the hour during which Van Persie scored twice.
This irresponsible crashing from triumph to disaster is what we expect of Arsène Wenger's side, not the shock troops of Scolari's squad who, in two title-winning seasons with Jose Mourinho, dropped only 12 points at home.
As for Wenger's side, it is impossible now to gauge whether to take them seriously: they succumb to Stoke, Hull and Fulham but bring on Chelsea and United and the story is different. Even William Gallas threw his shirt into the away fans at the end of the game and did not have it tossed back into his face.
The former Arsenal captain was impressive, nonetheless, but no one in a red shirt was more competitive and as uncompromising as the match-winner Van Persie.
For periods, Wenger was consumed by rage, not towards the opposition or the referee, but his own team. There were even times when he seemed to be sulking in protest at another erratic, unpredictable performance from Arsenal, yet he was on his feet with clenched fists at the final whistle. But as a football man he will know his side found an unlikely escape yesterday against a Chelsea team who simply neglected to close this game out when they had the chance.
It is rare for Deco to play as poorly as he did yesterday and stranger still that a Chelsea manager should look around him for an attacking substitute and find a kid from the academy as his only option on the bench.
Miroslav Stoch looked like the mascot when he came on, the only card Scolari had to play as his team struggled to find their rhythm after Van Persie's second goal. In the meantime, Didier Drogba sat in the stands listening to his iPod, watching another fine mess in his absence.
It was not a result that looked on the cards when Wenger's side enraged their manager by sloppily conceding the first goal. A bad throw from Manuel Almunia to Samir Nasri was anticipated by Jose Bosingwa and possession was turned around quickly. The ball went from Jon Obi Mikel to Nicolas Anelka and back to Bosingwa whose cross to the near post was put into his own net by Djourou under pressure from Salomon Kalou.
Chelsea had easily the better of the first half. Their dominant player was Mikel who would later lose Emmanuel Adebayor at the free-kick that brought Arsenal's winner. Van Persie created the only half-decent Arsenal chance of the first half when his shot was saved by Petr Cech and fell just behind Gallas. The abuse from the Chelsea fans for their old boy was pretty unrelenting; ditto that from the Arsenal fans to Ashley Cole. The most repugnant of all, however, was the chant directed from Chelsea fans at Wenger.
There was an appalling dive from Denilson in the Chelsea area when he was being tracked by Ashley Cole, which the referee was wise to ignore, and it was difficult to see from where the revival would come. It came from referee Dean's oversight when Van Persie was played in by Denilson.
The striker was not just a knee or a shoulder offside; there was clear daylight between the Dutch striker and the last Chelsea defender. So much so that when Van Persie hit his shot past Cech, Denilson looked long and hard at the linesman before he decided it was worth joining the celebrations.
It was barely credible and Chelsea reacted badly. Rampaging forward, John Terry lost control of the ball and was booked for a two-footed lunge on Bacary Sagna. Then Arsenal scored for the second time in three minutes. Cesc Fabregas hit a free-kick from left to right that was headed down by Adebayor and, despite running away from goal and under pressure from Frank Lampard, Van Persie swivelled and hit his shot first time past Cech.
Chelsea failed to react. Deco's replacement by Stoch told the Portuguese midfielder all he needed to know about his own performance. Florent Malouda miscued dreadfully with a volley and there was a sense of foreboding about the place. It will be no consolation here that this result only serves to make this season's title race even more absorbing.
Goals: Djourou og (og30) 1-0; Van Persie (59) 1-1; Van Persie (62) 1-2.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, A Cole; Mikel (Malouda, 70); Kalou, Lampard, Ballack, Deco (Stoch, 81); Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Bridge, Ferreira, Miniero, Alex.
Arsenal (4-4-1-1): Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy; Denilson, Fabregas, Song, Nasri; Van Persie; Adebayor (Bendtner, 83). Substitutes not used: Fabianski (gk), Vela, Ramsey, Silvestre, Wilshere, Bendtner, Gibbs.
Booked: Terry, Ivanovic.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Man of the match: Van Persie.
Attendance: 41,760
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Guardian:
Van Persie finds killer touch as Arsenal prove it takes the best to bring out their finestGuardian report Min-by-min Match facts Premier LeagueChelsea 1 Djourou (og) 30 Arsenal 2 van Persie 59, van Persie 62
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
Robin Van Persie, right, celebrates after scoring Arsenal's first goal at Stamford Bridge. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
This is proving an unforgettable season for Arsenal. Fans would prefer not to be carrying around recollections of losses to Hull and Stoke, but there are also memories to cherish. This victory is a companion piece to the win over Manchester United at the Emirates three weeks ago. The mightier the opposition the better the prospects for Arsène Wenger's squad.
If Arsenal were in crisis then the anguish has now passed to Luiz Felipe Scolari. The Brazilian does have his grievances since the visitors' equaliser, the first of Robin van Persie's goals, should have been ruled offside. Scolari's Chelsea had already seen Liverpool take three points at Stamford Bridge, to say nothing of defeat by Burnley in the League Cup, before the arrival of Arsenal. All the same, there is sympathy for the manager. In part, he is a victim of changing times. This is no longer a club of unlimited resources. So long as the fitness of the presently suspended Didier Drogba is in question, Scolari has, in Nicolas Anelka, a single proven striker at his disposal.
He would have no complaints about the presence here of Michael Ballack, Deco and Frank Lampard as his attacking midfielders, but the Englishman, at the age of 30, was the youngest of them. If there was to be zest, it had to emanate from the overlapping right-back Jose Bosingwa. The January transfer market commonly proves barren for managers but it also appears, in any case, that Scolari would have to raise funds by offloading players.
It is a little while since Arsenal's circumstances were enviable, but the energy of youth was an asset here. Although they are not yet at the same standard as some streamlined predecessors, it is this batch that has delivered their club's first win on this ground since the 'invincible' season of 2003-04. The circumstances in which that was achieved rankle with Chelsea.
Scolari is normally gracious and he embraced Wenger at the end, but he also deplored the officials. With the score at 0-0, a tight call after five minutes went against Salomon Kalou wrongly and there would have been less sympathy with a linesman's erroneous verdict on Van Persie in the 59th minute. He was behind the defence when Denilson set him up in a move that had also involved Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fábregas. The Dutchman kept his mind fixed on the task and lashed a shot home with his weaker right foot.
Chelsea were dismayed and fragile. Three minutes later, Adebayor knocked down a Fábregas set-piece and Van Persie drilled the ball past the left hand of Petr Cech. For all we know, the deposed captain William Gallas could conceivably develop a soft spot for the Dutchman.
Van Persie's execution had been unanswerable at each goal, but the opposition's concentration did wobble at the clincher. While that would hitherto have been classified as an aberration for Chelsea, minds currently seem to have a habit of wandering. During the midweek draw in Bordeaux, Lampard and John Terry lost concentration at critical moments.
Yesterday, Arsenal had superior endurance. They bore the concession of a markedly stupid opener in the 31st minute. Manuel Almunia, attempting a quick throw-out, hurled the ball too far. The visitors, unexpectedly, were at immediate risk. With devastating fluency, Chelsea's Bosingwa linked with Mikel John Obi and Anelka before having possession returned to him. His lethal low cross was turned into his own net by Johan Djourou.
After all that has afflicted Arsenal in this campaign, they could have slithered into defeatism. It is to their credit that there was no such despair, but Chelsea also nursed the revival by being so colourless. Anelka drew a blank here as the realisation grew that his prolific efforts until now have masked limitations. Scolari did not have another credible finisher in attack.
That accounts, in some degree, for the fact that, at home, they have a solitary point to show for their three home fixtures against English representatives in the Champions League. Even that draw had come when Manchester United were in sight of victory at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal closed off all the escape routes here.
Both clubs have their injury problems, but it was Chelsea who were compelled to give a debut to a 19-year-old when the Slovakian Miroslav Stoch took over from Deco. That was a desperate step for a manager, yet Scolari felt it worth taking.
It was notable that Almunia had very little to do over the course of the afternoon. Cech had more to concern himself with even though Chelsea looked the sounder team. There were saves to make then, with a possibility that Gallas might break the deadlock in the 14th minute. The centre-back did not connect when Cech beat out a Samir Nasri attempt in his direction.
The former Chelsea player, though, carried out his regular duties perfectly. Perhaps it will suit Gallas that he no longer bears the armband, because he has always seemed too quirky and erratic figure for that role. Many things fell into place for Wenger yesterday.
Man of the match Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
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Mail:
Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2: Superb Van Persie brace puts Gunners back in title raceBy Matt Lawton
After more than four years without losing a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge, here was a second defeat in four weeks and what amounted to yet another worrying performance for this stuttering Chelsea side.
The fourth such performance, in fact, after they stole a draw against Manchester United, lost to Liverpool and then travelled to Rome for what proved a chastening Champions League experience.
And that's not to mention the Carling Cup exit to Burnley.
No wonder the alarm goes off when the home side are beaten here, as it did during Rafa Benitez's press conference last month and did so again shortly before Arsene Wenger appeared for his postmatch briefing.
Wenger would still swap this result for Chelsea's points total and that is worth remembering before Luiz Felipe Scolari joins Roy Keane as the Barclays Premier League manager now most likely to lose his job. He side remain top, at least until Liverpool meet West Ham at Anfield tonight, and are only a victory against CFR Cluj from the last 16 of the Champions League.
But this will concern Scolari when Arsenal did not have to play terribly well to beat a side who, although suffering in the absence of Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho, are looking rather too predictable.
For reasons even Scolari says he cannot explain, they seem to have lost the ability to adapt to the demands placed upon them by the better opponents. In 10 games they have won just four times.
Scolari did his best to divert attention from his players' shortcomings on to the the match officials. To a degree he was right.
They did allow Robin van Persie to score the first of his goals, and so equalise, by failing to spot that Arsenal's Dutch striker was offside when Denilson delivered the ball to his feet. But the statistics do not reflect well on Chelsea when they managed just one effort on target, Frank Lampard's 24th-minute header.
Their goal would come seven minutes after that when Johan Djourou showed his relative inexperience by turning a Jose Bosingwa cross into his own net.
After that, however, Chelsea offered almost nothing in attack, as a watching Drogba no doubt noted from beneath his hat.Arsenal were not a great deal better, it has to be said, but they did display the kind of qualities that Petr Cech foolishly accused them of lacking in the build-up to this game.
William Gallas was right, he suggested. They have no fight and they have no bottle. Well, battling back from a goal down at Stamford Bridge to win 2-1 was quite a riposte.
Gallas went to shake Cech's hand afterwards, and one can imagine what he might have said. Thanks, Pete, for the support as well as the inspiration. Cech still has a point, though, and so does Gallas.
Arsenal have secured some impressive results this season, beating United at the Emirates as well as this win here. But what does it say about them when they lost three of their four League games prior to this encounter and have lost to Fulham, Hull, Stoke, Aston Villa and Manchester City?
'It is part of a learning process,' insisted Wenger, even if the same excuse was used last season, and the season before that. For Arsenal, this was an impressive response.
Gallas, as Wenger was so keen to point out, has responded admirably to being stripped of the captaincy. He did well against Dynamo Kiev in the week and yesterday, in the words of his manager, was 'outstanding'.
And if Van Persie was central to the controversy that was sparked by the outspoken Gallas, the incident has done nothing to dull his enthusiasm.
If his first goal was fortuitous, it remained a fine finish that was then followed by another marvellous effort three minutes later. While Chelsea count the cost of the suspended Drogba's coin-throwing antics, they had nobody in Van Persie's class.
Nicolas Anelka was disappointing, Deco desperately poor. Even Lampard and Michael Ballack lacked their usual attacking verve. Arsenal were the more dangerous of the sides from the very start, with Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie both forcing fine saves from Cech in theopening 45 minutes.
But when Manuel Almunia's poor throw was won by Bosingwa in the 31st minute, a swiftly-executed move ended with the Portuguese fullback delivering a cross that Djourou, in an effort to stop it reaching Salomon Kalou, guided past his goalkeeper.
An outrageous dive from Denilson also escaped the attention of Mike Dean, but Scolari was complaining only about the failure of the referee and his assistant to identify Van Persie's position when Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder delivered his 59th-minute pass.
Scolari said it 'killed' his team, which does not say a lot for their ability to cope with adversity.
But it appears it did, judging by the way they then conceded Van Persie's second.
After Fabregas floated a free-kick forward it was the ease with which Emmanuel Adebayor won the first header that would have disappointed Chelsea's manager, even if the quality of Van Persie's shot on the turn was truly breathtaking.
How They Lined UpCHELSEA (4-1-2-2-1): Cech 7, Bosingwa 6, Ivanovic 5, Terry 6, A Cole 6, Mikel 5; (Malouda 70min 5), Ballack 6, Lampard 6, Deco 3 (Stoch 81 5), Kalou 6, Anelka 5.Booked: Terry, Ivanovic.
ARSENAL (4-4-2): Almunia 6, Sagna 7, Gallas 8, Djourou 5, Clichy 7, Denilson 6;Fabregas, 7, Song, 6, Nasri 6;,Van Persie 8, Adebayor 6 (Bendtner 83).
Man of the match: William Gallas.
Referee: Mike Dean.
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Sun:
From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge
Published: 30 Nov 2008 ARSENAL love Robin’ from the rich at football’s top table.
If only they could stop giving to the poor they would be right in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners added Chelsea to the scalp of Manchester United in a baffling start to the season which has also seen them lose to the likes of Hull, Fulham and Stoke.
It was their very own Robin Hood, Robin van Persie, who plundered the spoils from a shell-shocked Blues.
The Dutchman scored twice — the first clearly offside — in the space of three minutes around the hour mark to turn this game on its head after Chelsea had apparently been on their way to victory when Johan Djourou put through his own goal in the first half.
Not many expected this result, especially the bookies who were quoting Arsenal at odds as long as 5-1 to win.
But with the return of Emmanuel Adebayor after a lengthy injury absence and Van Persie finding his way back to form this was a reinvigorated Gunners.
Adebayor has been badly missed and he figured in both goals.
You feel Chelsea could do with their most potent attacking weapon, Didier Drogba, back too.
Love him or hate him, Drogba gives Chelsea an extra aggressive edge which was lacking here.
When he hasn’t been off talking to Inter Milan about a transfer, Drogba has been either injured or suspended and, while Nicolas Anelka has discovered the route to goal, there is no substitute for the Drog.
The Blues have only lost two Premier League home games in 4½ years but both have come under new boss Phil Scolari in the space of just over a month — the other being against Liverpool.
Jose Mourinho did not lose a single league game at Stamford Bridge in his entire reign.
And Scolari is developing an unwanted reputation for failing to do the business against the big boys, having also slipped up with a home draw against Manchester United.
They could not make the most of the comedy of errors from Arsenal which gifted them the lead.
Keeper Manuel Almunia caught the ball and bowled it out into no-man’s-land to the surprise of right-back Jose Boswinga, who collected and stormed forward.
The Portuguese defender exchanged passes with Anelka and fired in a low cross which was turned in at the near post by the unfortunate Djourou — a Swiss with particularly bad timing.
It was a goal symptomatic of the Gunners’ troubles this season where they have been guilty of numerous defensive errors. But Van Persie signalled Arsenal were not going to simply accept another defeat and his shot on the turn tested Petr Cech, who saved well to his left.
Chelsea lost their way and their finishing was none too clever, either, with Anelka putting a diving header well wide and the usually reliable Frank Lampard shooting badly wide from 20 yards — a position where he invariably buries the ball in the bottom corner.
Arsenal were back in it on 59 minutes when Adebayor leapt to win a header and Samir Nasri fed Denilson.
The midfielder chested down and played in Van Persie, who was offside, but the flag never came and he rattled the equaliser high into the net.
Scolari did some moaning about that one afterwards and about another decision when Salomon Kalou was through on goal only to be given offside when he was onside.
The Brazilian insisted: “We lost today because one goal was not a goal — and it was a goal which changed the result.”
So at least one thing is clear — he may not be getting Mourinho’s results but he is starting to whinge like him.
A stunned Chelsea crowd were rocked again when Adebayor climbed high once more to find Van Persie, who spun round brilliantly and smacked a low drive between Lampard’s legs and just inside the post.
Manager Arsene Wenger, who has kept faith with his beleaguered troops throughout this difficult campaign, was off the bench celebrating — which is a rare sight this season.
And he had little cause for concern as the clock ticked down and Chelsea ran out of ideas.
William Gallas, making his return to the Bridge, won praise from Wenger for his part in keeping Chelsea at bay.
But the behaviour of Gallas, who was sacked as Arsenal captain for criticising his team-mates, was as curious as ever.
On each Arsenal goal he merely trotted back to his position for the kick-off while his team-mates engulfed Van Persie.
Then, at full-time, he strolled to the match officials to shake their hands while his team-mates jumped all over one other.
But then Gallas walked towards the corner where the Arsenal fans were congregated and threw his shirt into the throng while half of his team-mates followed suit in an apparent display of unity.
“William Gallas is a red, he hates Chelsea,” sang the ecstatic Gunners fans.
Could it be that Arsenal are on the way back, all pulling together in the same direction?
The acid test will come next week when the small fry are back in town — it’s Wigan at home.
