Closed Arsenal 1 - 2 Chelsea

[Sheva. 5,373]

I feel sorry for Giroud actually, it can't be a good situation to be in, and the more he misses, the more the media will get on his back and his confidence will be fucked.

Happy he "rejected" us though

[Ryan Fong 2,776]

Anybody else thinks we are genuinely a title contender now? No? Just me?

Before the season kicked off I was like no way we can win it this year, I completely change my mind now.

[BOSS 372]

Anybody else thinks we are genuinely a title contender now? No? Just me?

Before the season kicked off I was like no way we can win it this year, I completely change my mind now.

I knew we we're title contenders from the beginning of the season. I am not trying to be a fan who is waay too optimistic but with the squad we had i knew we would be title contenders.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Happy he "rejected" us though

I'm not. He'd be perfect as a relatively cheap backup striker and he's a big target man so he offers something different. He's had 2 starts in the league for Arsenal away to Liverpool and Stoke and people are acting as if he's been bad for 5 years or something. There is such so much overreaction to tiny sample sizes.

[Yeboii 1,844]

Chelsea win, man u and arsenal lose.. Awesome

[zolayes 14,489]

I'm not. He'd be perfect as a relatively cheap backup striker and he's a big target man so he offers something different. He's had 2 starts in the league for Arsenal away to Liverpool and Stoke and people are acting as if he's been bad for 5 years or something. There is such so much overreaction to tiny sample sizes.

another post which many should study

[Sheva. 5,373]

I'm not. He'd be perfect as a relatively cheap backup striker and he's a big target man so he offers something different. He's had 2 starts in the league for Arsenal away to Liverpool and Stoke and people are acting as if he's been bad for 5 years or something. There is such so much overreaction to tiny sample sizes.

He's missed great chances in 3 games now. "Small sample size" sorry, but no one waits 25 games to make an assessment.

Especially considering 2 of those misses have cost Arsenal 4 points already.

[Billy. 2,739]

better team won simple as that

[TheCount 146]

As good as mikel played today, i do think romeu is still the way forward, he's just simply a better player for what we want to try and do,

Still think Oscar hazard AND mata cant play together, 2 is the max, their too much of the same thing, rotate it a bit or try something eles,

A 4-3-3 is the way to go i feel, adds the natural width we need and a balances the squad a bit more in the middle which is good,

Also we cant right of a legend like lampard just yet he'll find his new place in the team.

Great win tho either way. If we had more pace at times with our attacks we'd hammer anyone, going inside too much slowly kills us.

[Ollie 4,400]

What a performance! i'm still shocked that Di Matteo showed some bollocks and finally put out a real team. Ramires as a CDM, Oscar as the number 10, the captain, the leader, the legend that is John Terry, after all he's gone through, in the starting XI and Lampard benched as it's not his type of game any more. Di Matteo showed us all today that he's a real fucking manager and it answered a lot of questions for me.

I was sceptical about this game as you know but when i saw the starting XI i started to believe and we started the game so well. We played Arsenal at their own game which we have never done before, we dominated possession and we played the ball around brilliantly. Glad Torres scored, he was awful in everything else he done imo but he scored a very crucial clever goal which is his job at the end of the day and Mata's goal, maybe a bit lucky but it was one of those undefendable balls, brilliant delivery.

Arsenal had a few chances near the end but that's to be expected, we thoroughly deserved to win and i'm so buzzing even now having just got home. My man of the match is without doubt Jon Obi Mikel. I've criticised him enough times but he was immense today. He broke up their play so often, showed his strength and started our attacks as well as showing a great touch. He was perfect today, absolutely perfect.

I'm so happy today. We've just shown that we can challenge for the title and that Robbie genuinely knows what he's doing. Today went as well as it could have gone. Maybe the Atletico game was a blessing is disguise because things have changed since that horrible day in Monac

Match of the day will be well worth watching tonight and i'll watch goals on sunday too and maybe even MOTD 2 tomorrow i don't care. YES!

[Waterfall 893]

Great line from BBC's McNulty:

For Chelsea, this was a glimpse into the future and what better place to view it than from the top of the Premier League.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Match of the day will be well worth watching tonight and i'll watch goals on sunday too and maybe even MOTD 2 tomorrow i don't care. YES!

Same here

[bluezola 7]

Great result for the blues.

Have to applaud RDM for having the courage to drop SFL and play Rami and Mikel as the 2 holding players. I have been harping on for ages that SFL and Mikel can't play as the 2 CDM. For me the combination just doesn't work.

What is encouraging is the fact that this team is a work in progress and we still don't know potentially just how good this side will be and just what this side will be capable of. It's exciting to think that this young team will grow stronger and better with time. Arsene must be having kittens thinking about the fact that he has been developing his young team for what must seem like centuries and they still don't have got that killer instinct.

BTW Oscar has the potential and ability to be another Alonso or Pirlo which is why I think we brought him. At the moment he is being schooled on the art of shadowing an opponent note Pirlo and Arteta. I suspect that in a couple of seasons he will be playing alongside Rami as the deep lying play maker, spraying balls from deep to open up play.

Finally just when are the pundits going to give our team the respect it deserves. No one outside of the club or supporters felt we would beat Arsenal...........Why because it's Arsenal. Don't get that myself, a team that hasn't won anything in 7 years, but lauded as being fantastic. They seem to forget that we are European Champions with the bulk of the squad still intact. A team that can defend like no other. Just ask Barcelona and Bayern. Defensively on our day we are the best when we need to be but it seems the media and pundits alike forget that fact when we play any of the top 4 and are so ready to write us off.

[Joker10 946]

It was a good performance. I like how RDM has adjusted his tactics, in our first few games he tried to achieve defensive balance by using a defensisive winger and sitting deeper, but now(including Stoke and Wolves game) we are pressing with much more intensity and higher up the pitch. I like the new appraoch, our team pressing will get better as the season go on.

I thought we were sloppy on the ball at times, but nothing to worry about.

Most concerning thing for me was how disjointed midfield and defense were in our buildup. Would like to see Ramires, Mikel, and even Oscar to drop deeper to recieve and collect the ball from CB. I don't like how seperated the two sets are, it creates a lack of passing options when were are trying build attacks. With the exception of our poor buildups at times in the game can't see too much negative.

Also really liked the blue socks, it looked great with this season kits.

[termninja 5,290]

Dunno why but I have a great feeling before this game. I'm pretty sure we will win.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

It was a good performance. I like how RDM has adjusted his tactics, in our first few games he tried to achieve defensive balance by using a defensisive winger and sitting deeper, but now(including Stoke and Wolves game) we are pressing with much more intensity and higher up the pitch. I like the new appraoch, our team pressing will get better as the season go on.

I thought we were sloppy on the ball at times, but nothing to worry about.

Most concerning thing for me was how disjointed midfield and defense were in our buildup. Would like to see Ramires, Mikel, and even Oscar to drop deeper to recieve and collect the ball from CB. I don't like how seperated the two sets are, it creates a lack of passing options when were are trying build attacks. With the exception of our poor buildups at times in the game can't see too much negative.

What is this? Thoughtful analysis based on watching what actually happened in the match? That has no place here!

[Leif 6,006]

Happy.

Still need to create more chances though, and the Torres of old would've blasted that 1-on-1 chance away (in a good way), but a goal is a goal!

[Chelsea? 892]

Anybody else thinks we are genuinely a title contender now? No? Just me?

Before the season kicked off I was like no way we can win it this year, I completely change my mind now.

might need to create more goal scoring chance. But its not like the title favorites are playing any better right now.