Brawl at the Bridge

Just before the International break, the Premier League showcased arguably the biggest game of the season so far, Chelsea vs Arsenal, Mourinho vs Wenger.  The build up was focused on the former Arsenal captain and now Chelsea's midfield conductor, Cesc Fabregas.  The man exiled from Barcelona in the summer had options of which he ended up at a club he vowed to never join when he left Arsenal, but we know that loyalty is rare in football.  According to many sources, Fabregas wanted to go to Arsenal but was 'not needed' at the team he left in 2011.  So, Cesc joining Chelsea was not that much of a surprise once that was known.  A side in a country and city he knows well, Champions League football guaranteed and challenges for major honours on all fronts.  As an Arsenal fan, I'm not bitter about Cesc going to Chelsea as, if it is true, we rejected him so you can't blame him for choosing the best option available to him.  Words mean very little in football as many have said, "I cannot see myself playing anywhere else in this country other than ______",  now see Frank Lampard is at Manchester City after swearing to never to play for another Premier League side.  This was made even sweeter when he scored against Chelsea last month.  I went into this game petrified of another mauling similar to this past March.  However, this time it was a far tighter affair with the game being decided by two moments of genius, unfortunately for me, both were from Chelsea.  What proved to be the main talking point though was on the touchline.

Premier League

After the March massacre for Arsene Wenger's 1000th game in charge, Arsenal fans will be pleased that their side at least held their own for the majority of a closely-fought match.  Arsenal set up much more organised and capably at the back and kept Chelsea's danger man Diego Costa quiet for nearly the whole game.  Jack Wilshere carried himself well during the game and was Arsenal's driving force.  But, it was not to be their day, Fabregas won it in midfield and fed Eden Hazard, who was still about 30 yards from goal.  Hazard burst into life and dribbled past red shirts at will before being taken down by Laurent Koscielny in the penalty box.  Some say it should've been red for Koscielny but the ref let it go and Hazard calmly picked himself up and passed it in the opposite corner to that of which Woijiech Szczesny dived to.  Arsenal though responded well and didn't crumble, in fact better touches from Alexis Sanchez and then Jack Wilshere could've seen Arsenal level.  Then came the talking point of the day, a dangerous and rash lunge by Gary Cahill on Sanchez sparked outrage from the Arsenal bench, particularly after a similar challenge from Felipe Melo that past week in the Champions League.  Wenger was heading over to the incident, whilst entering Jose Mouinho's technical box.  An altercation ensued and Wenger was told to leave by Mourinho as he blocked his path, Wenger pushed Mourinho to the clear shock of the Chelsea boss.  This seemed to effect Arsenal who were not as dangerous and Chelsea were in control of the second half.  Arsenal's Mesut Ozil was having a very bad day at the office, yet was not taken off, whilst Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere in particular were having impressive showings and were taken off.  Arsenal were then cut open by their former hero, Fabregas supplying Costa with an audacious pass and Costa duly lobbed Szczesny to wrap up the points, it happened to be the only moment Costa had in the whole game where Arsenal had let him through.  Arsenal's struggles in front of goal were clear as they failed to register an effort on target until Lukas Podolski tested Petr Cech in the 90th minute.  Chelsea marched on and seem unstoppable in their quest for a first trophy of Mourinho's second coming, whilst Arsenal try to continue through injury problems and the continuing issue of away days at the 'big boys'. 

Elsewhere, an inspired David De Gea won Manchester United three points against Everton with a string of sensational saves, including a save from Leighton Baines' penalty, the first miss of Baines' career.  Radamel Falcao grabbed his first United goal in a big win for United who now have to prepare for the bigger tests ahead.  Manchester City endured a tricky night at Villa Park as they struggled to break them down until a determined run and finish from Yaya Toure who has been trying to find the form which helped City on their way to a second league title.  Sergio Aguero wrapped up the win as City try to catch the runaway the pacesetters Chelsea.  Burnley left it late to pick up their first away points of the season with a dramatic 2-2 draw at Leicester.  Ross Wallace curled in a wonderful free kick in the 96th minute to rescue a point and put a bright spark on a struggling start to the season. 

The Rest
Hull 2-0 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 2-1 West Brom
Sunderland 3-1 Stoke City
Spurs 1-0 Southampton
Swansea City 2-2 Newcastle United
West Ham United 2-0 QPR



Goal of the Week
Despite it not being a personal favourite of mine, it is undoubtedly a beautifully worked goal and stands out from the rest.  This week the winner is Diego Costa's against Arsenal:(apologies for the commentary)

 

 

Signing off!