Chelsea beats Arsenal 3-0

Chelsea tightened its grip on top spot in the Premier League and put a massive dent in Arsenal's own title ambitions with a convincing win at Emirates Stadium.

The Blues, then under Guus Hiddink, were the last team to beat the Gunners on their own ground, ripping them apart 4-1 here in May.

While this encounter was nowhere near as much a one-sided affair, it still highlighted the gulf between the two sides' ability to produce a big performance when required.

Chelsea - which restored its lead on Manchester United to five points - grabbed a brace at the end of a first half in which Arsene Wenger's men had enjoyed plenty of possession, but without really troubling Petr Cech.

The Gunners were made to pay when Didier Drogba converted Ashley Cole's low centre, and Thomas Vermaelen's own goal effectively killed off the contest before the interval, with the Ivory Coast striker drilling in a late free-kick to seal matters.

There is, of course, plenty more football to be played before they crown the 2010 champions, but even with a match in hand, it is difficult to see Wenger's young squad - without Robin van Persie until at least April - clawing back what is now an 11-point deficit, and indeed they could still face a battle to secure a top-four finish.

Arsenal may have dedicated this afternoon's match to their charity of the season at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, but there was little compassion shown towards former Gunner Ashley Cole, who was resoundingly booed every time he touched the ball.

It had been a bright start from the host, with Bacary Sagna's deep cross flicked back into the penalty area by Andrey Arshavin, but Cesc Fabregas was unable to make decent contact.

Eduardo almost robbed England captain John Terry on the edge of the Chelsea box, but Ricardo Carvalho cleared the loose ball.

Chelsea, though, looked dangerous on the break and was somewhat unfortunate to see Drogba's run clear onto a pass from Joe Cole halted by an offside flag.

Nicolas Anelka, whose big break came at Arsenal, then went down in the penalty area as he got ahead of Sagna, but referee Andre Marriner was not interested.

There was a brief stoppage in play when the referee removed an object, which looked like a fake camera, which had been thrown on in the direction of Frank Lampard, the England midfielder fit again following a thigh injury.

Arsenal had plenty of possession, but lacked spark in the final third, with the absence of Dutch forward Van Persie painfully clear.

It was no real surprise when Chelsea went ahead on 41 minutes.

Terry played in Ashley Cole down the left, and he whipped a low centre across the six-yard box, where Drogba got in between the static Arsenal centre-backs to steer the ball into the net off the angle of post and bar.

Before Wenger could regroup his team in the dressing room, it was 2-0.

Cole was again the provider, as this time his ball from the left was deflected into the Arsenal net off Vermaelen's shin.

Wenger had to do something to inject fresh life into his shell-shocked side, and it came in the form of England forward Theo Walcott, defensive midfielder Alex Song the man sacrificed.

Arsenal certainly had more urgency following the restart, and thought it had a goal back when Arshavin smashed home from close range - but the effort was ruled out for a high boot from Eduardo on Cech.

Chelsea almost grabbed a fortunate third goal when Drogba's shot deflected off William Gallas and then Lampard, but Manuel Almunia made a quick change in direction and touched the ball around the post.

Arsenal were getting desperate and called for what would have been a harsh penalty as substitute Carlos Vela went down under a challenge from Branislav Ivanovic.

On 71 minutes, Ashley Cole was replaced by Paulo Ferreira, the England defender clenching his fists towards the travelling Chelsea fans as he left the pitch, before heading straight down the tunnel.

Arsenal threatened, but once again lacked a decisive pass at the key moment.

Drogba wrapped things up for Carlo Ancelotti's men when he smashed in a 25-yard free-kick with four minutes left.

Arshavin revealed he feels like quitting football ahead of crucial Chelsea clash

Andrey Arshavin last night stunned Arsenal as he revealed he feels like quitting football after Russia’s World Cup exit.

Pocket dynamo Arshavin only came off the bench as the Gunners slipped to a potentially crushing defeat at Sunderland last week although he played in the midweek win over Standard Liege.

But with Arsene Wenger’s side needing to beat Chelsea at the Emirates tomorrow to remain in the title frame, a depressed Arshavin admitted he has lost all his appetite for the game after Russia’s defeat by Slovenia.

Arshavin said: “I am inconsolable and desolate at what has happened.

“My family keep telling me that I should forget it as soon as possible, that I should now switch to the club matters and the Champions League but that’s easier said than done.

“Nothing revives me so far. When Arsene Wenger asked me what state I was in, I honestly told him that at the moment I just do not want to play football at all.

“He talked to me for a long time. He said, too, that I need to switch my attention. But I cannot do it yet.”

Wenger admitted Arshavin, who has scored six goals so far this campaign, was having major problems in coming to terms with his World Cup heartbreak.

The Gunners chief said: “He is very down. He came back from Slovenia very down and that’s the main reason I did not play him from the start against Sunderland.

“You want them to be 100 per cent focused, play a game like it’s life or death. So it is impossible not to be down if you don’t win.

“If you care, you are down. Arshavin is captain, he is 28, at the next World Cup he is 33. He is a tough boy. He is mentally okay, but he is down and is still disappointed for his country.

“He is a winner, though, and strong mentally and when his back is to the wall he responds.”

Arshavin also returned dogged by claims he went on a drinking spree before the second leg, had rowed with Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko in the dressing room and fallen out with Russia boss Guus Hiddink.

"I use the word rubbish about these allegations,” said Arshavin. “Such gossip cannot be taken seriously. Do the people who spread this think we are crazy, to be killing our own dream? It is all an absurdity.”

Being a Muslim had helped my career : Arsenal defender

The Arsenal defender Armand Traore has become more depply immersed in the Muslim way of life and believes it has helped him in his life and his career.

He has decided to have an operation to remove his tattoos next summer as his Muslim faith forbids them.

“I am going under the knife at the end of the season to remove the tattoos,” he said..

“I’m planning to do it in the summer. They put me under anesthetic and then do it all, and when I wake up everything will be gone.

“It needs a little bit of recovery time so I’m going to do it at the end of the football season.

“If I had been into my religion properly before I had the tattoos I don’t think I would have got them.

“I think it’s one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but I will try and correct it.

“My religion has benefited me personally and in my career. I have always been a Muslim but I wasn’t really practising it, I was just saying to people ‘I am a Muslim’. It’s a gradual development.”

Traore is expected to be given more first-team chances now that Kieran Gibbs has had his broken metatarsal confirmed, and will be out for at least three months.

Silvestre feels confident to face Chelsea

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is looking at his lack of defenders before facing a Chelsea team that is flying at the top of the Premiership, and it looks like he will have a couple of rookies holding the fort.

Kieran Gibbs was diagnosed with a broken metatarsal yesterday to put him on the treatment table alongside Gael Clichy and William Gallas.

Gallas has started every game up until now, but his clash of heads with Andrei Arshavin during the game against Standard Liege has left him with a seriously swollen eye and he is now an unlikely starter in the top-of-the-table clash.

“There is a big question mark about him at the moment,” said Wenger. “The ankle should be all right but the eye is still very, very, very swollen.”

His place is likely to be taken by Phillipe Senderos, who is yet to start a Premiership game this season, while Gibbs’ place is expected to be taken by Armand Traore, who started his first game this season in the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland last weekend.

Mikael Silvestre is also a possibility in Traore’s place, and the experienced ex-Man Utd star thinks that the Arsenal team are in confident mood after qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages by topping the group.

“We have seen Liverpool go out, Barcelona are struggling. I think our group was well-balanced and we made a good campaign so we are proud of that,” he said.

“It was easy to control the game in the second half as we were 2-0 up. After the disappointment of this weekend it was good preparation for Chelsea too.

“I think at Sunderland we lacked a little bit of commitment. You drop one or two per cent and, that’s it, you get punished. Tonight we wanted to rectify this and make sure we got the victory.”

Whoever plays will have to be at the top of their game when they play a Chelsea team that is looking invincible at the moment. A defeat against the Blues will leave them 11 points behind the league leaders, but a win would give them real hope of closing the gap.

Arsenal Zusammenhang mit Schock Überfall auf Premier League Rivalen

Arsenal sind so eingestellt, ein ehrgeiziges Gebot für Aston Villa Start weiter Gabriel Agbonlahor. Die Zeitung Anspruch Arsene Wenger hat ein Bewunderer der seit 23-Jährige für einige Zeit, nachdem sie zunächst bei dem Spieler im Sommer 2007 vor der Unterzeichnung Eduardo sah. Die Villa verfügt über sieben Stürmer Premier League Ziele bereits in dieser Saison erzielt und doch es bleibt noch über seine Konsistenz, schlägt der Star Wenger ist bereit, zu beheben Martin O'Neill's mit einer Stoßstange Angebot von EUR 17 Mio. zu testen.

Der Spieler wird angenommen, dass in den Midlands Club glücklich sein, aber ist sich bewusst, was Champions League zu tun, um sein Profil und in der Tat seine Chancen Einbruch in England Fabio Capello squad. Der Stürmer wurde in die und aus der italienischen Gedanken und wird jetzt als ein Einsatz außerhalb der für Südafrika gesehen.

Obwohl der Bericht Arsenal Vertrauten bereit sind, am meisten Geld für den jungen Engländer zahlen, würde Aston Villa unwahrscheinlich erscheinen auf eines ihrer Stars zu einem potenziellen ersten vier Konkurrenten zu verkaufen.

Arsenal, le nouvel objectif du "Thierry Henry"

Le manager d'Arsenal Arsène Wenger est signalé que la préparation d'une soumission à signer Loïc Rémy, l'attaquant de Nice, qui a été salué comme le "nouveau Thierry Henry". L'année de 22 ans, qui a marqué six fois en 12 matchs pour son club cette saison, est consciente de l'intérêt d'Arsène Wenger et a été en pourparlers avec leurs coéquipiers France Abou Diaby et Bakary Sagna sur ce que la vie à l'Emirates est similaire.

Avec l'intérêt vient également de l'AC Milan, Lyon et Bordeaux, Arsenal sont susceptibles d'avoir à payer plus de £ 14 millions pour l'attaquant, qui ont seulement signé pour Nice il ya 18 mois.

Demanda ce qu'il pensait de l'intérêt d'Arsenal, Rémy a dit: «Je parle souvent de l'Arsenal avec Diaby et Sagna, quand je suis avec eux dans l'équipe française.

«Ils me disent que quand vous êtes à Arsenal vous voulez y rester toute votre carrière."

Mais Rémy a laissé entendre que le passage ne serait pas faite en Janvier et a ajouté: «En termes de quitter Nice, j'ai obtenu mon CAP internationaux première fois avec ce club et je ne vois aucune raison d'aller à la Coupe du monde autrement que comme un joueur de Nice."

Entre-temps, Wenger est également entendu à ce que son œil QPR's 14-year-old prodige éclatant Raheem Sterling.

Liverpool, Manchester United et Manchester City sont également soupçonnés d'avoir manifesté leur intérêt pour l'attaquant, mais avec lui étant si jeune, demeurant à Londres semble la solution la plus adaptée.

Arsenal target the 'new Thierry Henry'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reported to be preparing a bid to sign Loïc Rémy, the Nice striker who is being hailed as the "new Thierry Henry". The 22 year-old, who has scored six times in 12 games for his club this season, is aware of Wenger's interest and has been in talks with France team mates Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna about what life at the Emirates is like.

With interest also coming from AC Milan, Lyon and Bordeaux, Arsenal are likely to have to pay upwards of £14 million for the forward, who only signed for Nice 18 months ago.

Asked what he thought of Arsenal's interest, Rémy said: "I often talk about Arsenal with Diaby and Sagna when I am with them in the French team.

"They tell me that when you are at Arsenal you want to stay there your entire career."

But Rémy hinted that a move would not be done in January and added: "In terms of leaving Nice, I got my first international cap with this club and I see no reason to go to the World Cup as anything but a Nice player."

Meanwhile, Wenger is also understood to have his eye QPR's 14-year-old striking prodigy Raheem Sterling.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are also believed to have shown interest in the forward, but with him being so young, remaining in London seems the most suitable solution.

The Gunners qualify to last 16...

Manager Arsène Wenger said that his team did enough to ensure that they walked away with the three points in last night's Champions League match against Standard Liege.

It was an entertaining first half with the Belgian side hitting the woodwork and having a strong penalty claim turned down by the referee.

Wenger said: "The first half was good, in the second half we eased off. We just kept the result and we were in control.

"You could see we lacked a bit of urgency in the final third because we just eased a little bit off in the second half. First half was interesting with fluent moving, it was a very good first half."

The Frenchman also reflected on the importance of bouncing back from his side's defeat over the weekend, in preparation for the Premiership clash with leaders Chelsea this weekend.

Wenger added: "If you look at the last nine games we have had a very good run but Saturday [against Sunderland] was not at the requested level.

"[The defeat] is still in the minds of the players because you never forget a disappointment. But it was important to win today to prepare well for the Chelsea game on Sunday."

But Arsenal should have been at least 3-0 up before they scored their first goal, a well-taken finish by Samir Nasri. Francesc Fabregas and Andrey Arshavin both went agonisingly close before Denilson scored the second and final goal of the night.

Wenger concluded: "I think Denilson has a typical Brazilian shot. With this floating ball I think they have shorter ankles and it gives a different flight to the ball.

"It is typical Brazilian technique and I tried to analyse it many times. I could only think maybe they have a bit shorter ankle in front and they can kick the ball high up with the laces. "I have never checked it!"

With Arsenal now having qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, the Frenchman pointed out that the club has maintained that level of consistency for the last 10 years.

The team have one last group game against Olympiacos but Wenger confirms that he will give fringe players a chance to impress in that match.

He said: "I am pleased because it is not easy [to be that consistent]. I must say in this group we were favourites, that was quite normal, and we just did the job. If you put the 10 years together you can say we have been consistent.

"I believe yes but there are two competitions in the Champions League - one is the championship and one is a cup. We move now from the championship to the cup competition and that means it is different psychologically and we go now into a period when every minute is important.

"We want of course to adapt to that. We have normally the advantage to play the second leg at home so let's get our injured players back and get in a strong position in the League, that is important as well for the confidence of the team."