Match report
Arsenal will probably be pleased with their first away point. That was a huge improvement on whatever it was they tried to do at Liverpool. They were solid and disciplined. That said, they might be slightly disappointed not to have scored in the first half, when their dominance forced Antonio Conte into making a half-time change to toughen up his team. Nothing really worked for Chelsea in possession. They need to get Eden Hazard up to speed. They go third - Arsenal stay 12th - but they’re three points behind Manchester City. Thanks for reading. Do join Nick Ames for Manchester United v Everton now. Bye.
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Full-time: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
What a poor game.
90 min+3: Bellerin is booked for a cynical push on Bakayoko.
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90 min+1: Moses runs at Kolasinac, who brings him down. Kolasinac has lost his head. He screams at the linesman and is lucky not to receive a second booking for dissent.
90 min: Kolasinac is booked for a hack on Hazard. There will be four added minutes.
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90 min: Sanchez finds Monreal in space inside the Chelsea area, but the defender’s shot is blocked!
89 min: Andreas Christensen replaces Alvaro Morata. Kolasinac has returned.
88 min: Kolasinac is still receiving treatment.
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Red card for David Luiz (Chelsea)!
87 min: David Luiz makes down the right flank and takes too long to release the ball. He ends up overruning it, with Sanchez pressuring him, panics, loses control and flies into a challenge with Kolasinac. The Arsenal player gets there first and Luiz studs him on the ankle. Ouch. Michael Oliver rushes over and shows the red card. There are no complaints from Luiz and once again Chelsea will finish with 10 against Arsenal.
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87 min: This corner’s headed out as far as Moses, who sees his volley blocked.
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86 min: Bakayoko’s shot is deflected wide for a corner by Sanchez. It’s cleared. Hazard picks up possession and finds Fabregas on the right. His volleyed cross takes a deflection for another Chelsea corner.
84 min: This is comically inept. No one can complete a pass. They’ve all lost the run of themselves! Look at them charging around! Elneny’s booked for a foul on Bakayoko.
82 min: “How many hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent so Sky could bring us this utter tripe?” says David Flynn. “If this game was on HBO they’d cancel the season halfway through.”
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80 min: Mohamed Elneny replaces Alex Iwobi.
79 min: Kante breaks through the middle and manages something rare, a pass to a Chelsea player. It’s Hazard, too, and that spells trouble for Arsenal. He dribbles through, swaying inside on to his right foot, but his rising drive from 18 yards is held by Cech.
78 min: Mohamed Elneny will be on soon. Are Arsenal about to settle for a point?
76 min: Chelsea steam forward and force a corner on the left. Hazard and Fabregas take it quickly. Fabregas skips past one challenge and fires the ball into the middle, but Xhaka clears.
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75 min: Bakyoko trips Ramsey on the right. Arsenal have a free-kick. Xhaka lifts it to the far post, Mustafi’s unmarked and he heads it past Courtois, but the flag’s up for offside! He doesn’t know and peels off to celebrate with the Arsenal fans. Alas. His joy is shortlived.
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74 min: The second half has drifted by. It’s been fairly dire.
73 min: It seems Welbeck’s tweaked his groin. Olivier Giroud replaces him.
71 min: Welbeck’s down and in need of treatment.
70 min: Eden Hazard replaces the disappointing Willian.
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66 min: Alexis Sanchez replaces Alexandre Lacazette.
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65 min: Alexis Sanchez is getting ready to come on. There’s no sign of Eden Hazard yet, though. Morata’s booked for dissent after complaining about being penalised for a shoulder barge on Mustafi.
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62 min: Another Chelsea move breaks down and Arsenal counter, Welbeck galloping down the left. He cleverly prods a pass inside to Kolasinac, who drives into the Chelsea area. However Azpilicueta does well to jockey him and Kolasinac ends up running the ball out of play before shooting or crossing.
60 min: Morata has had a few tussles with Mustafi and been given nothing. This time he gets a free-kick on the left, though. A chance for Chelsea. Fabregas rolls it down the line to Willian, who cuts inside before shooting miles over.
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59 min: It’s been a poor start to the second half.
57 min: Welbeck tries to scoop a pass through to Ramsey, but Courtois reads it.
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55 min: Ramsey sprays a slide-rule pass through to Lacazette, but Azpilicueta gets his body in the way and ushers the ball behind.
54 min: Bakayoko makes his first contribution, powering through midfield and injecting some energy into Chelsea’s play. He finds Alonso on the left. He cuts inside and sees his shot blocked by Bellerin.
52 min: A free-kick to Chelsea on the right. Fabregas lofts it in, it’s flicked on and Luiz tries an overhead kick and ends up booting Koscielny in the face. The defender’s down and will need treatment. Was there some kind of high boot controversy recently? Can’t remember. Anyway Luiz is booked.
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50 min: This is scrappy.
47 min: Morata pokes a pass to Fabregas, who moves it to the right for Willian. He wastefully shoots straight at Cech.
46 min: Arsenal get the second half underway. Chelsea should be stiffer in midfield now Bakayoko’s on.
Tiemoue Bakayoko is coming on for Chelsea. Pedro is coming off.
Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
Arsenal are playing well at Stamford Bridge!
45 min+1: There will be two added minutes. Out of nowhere, Morata almost bursts through after beating Mustafi. Monreal steams across, though, and boots it back towards his own goal from 40 yards. Cech does very well to chest down and clear. A bit more oomph from Monreal and that could have been a very funny own goal.
45 min: Chelsea are rattled. They’re struggling to put two passes together.
43 min: Chelsea are rocking. I wonder if Conte might bring on Bakayoko for Fabregas.
41 min: What a miss from Lacazette! This is astonishing! With Arsenal completely on top in midfield, Ramsey decides to creep forward and he drifts past Fabregas as though the Spaniard isn’t there. Into the area he goes, stumbling past one challenge, then another. He’s off balance, but he’s determined and tries to prod a shot into the bottom left corner with his right foot. It bobbles past Courtois, but hits the inside of the post and bounces out to Lacazette, who promptly volleys over the empty net and high into the stands, almost like he was clearing it for a corner!
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39 min: Gary Cahill decides to get out of a tight hole by doing a backheel. Does it come off? Well, moments later he’s booting it into the stands.
38 min: Xhaka’s corner is nonsense. So’s Moses’s attempt to clear on the edge of the area. A complete miskick gives Koscielny a chance, but the defender scoops over.
37 min: Iwobi sends in the free-kick; Morata heads behind for a corner.
36 min: Morata loses the ball on the halfway line and Arsenal pour forward, only for Welbeck to wastefully shoot from 18 yards when others were better placed. Arsenal are playing pretty well here, though, keeping their shape and maintaining their discipline - Ozil isn’t playing, by the way. Azpilicueta brings down Lacazette on the left and Arsenal have a free-kick in a promising position.
34 min: David Luiz reckons he’s spotted something developing further forward, so he cunningly boots a long free-kick straight out for a goal-kick.
32 min: Xhaka has a go from 30 yards. It whistles wide of the left post. Courtois had it covered.
31 min: David Luiz lets Michael Oliver know that Xhaka was fouling him at a free-kick a moment or two ago. A replay shows Xhaka had his arms around the Brazilian. Mike Dean would have given a penalty, no doubt about that.
29 min: Bellerin should grow a beard, then he can complete the Andy Carroll look.
27 min: Chelsea are obviously still very good at this football business, but they do lack a bit of a spark without Hazard on the pitch.
25 min: Xhaka expertly sprays a crossfield pass out for a throw.
23 min: This is a highly entertaining game. Moses, heavily involved on the right, has another look down the right and lofts a cross in to Morata, who heads over.
21 min: Of course, Arsenal starting to enjoy themselves does raise the possibility of Chelsea puncturing their balloon with one moment of killer quality. And this is almost it. Fabregas lofts a vintage ball over the Arsenal back three, which has decided to play a useless offside trap, and Pedro’s clear. He races into the area, Koscielny desperately trying to get back, but the Spaniard takes too long to get himself set and allows Cech to make a fairly straightforward block.
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20 min: Arsenal are beginning to enjoy themselves now, spreading concern around Stamford Bridge. Kolasinac, who has muscles, decides to have a pop from the left. It flies through the bodies in the middle and Courtois has to react smartly to push it out. The Chelsea goalkeeper did well to get down given that he might have been unsighted.
18 min: Pedro is down after a tackle from Monreal. He’s having some spray applied to his right shin. Time for Eden Hazard to have a jog down the touchline.
17 min: Encouraged by that foray, Arsenal decide to test Chelsea down the right again. And again Bellerin gets the better of Alonso, scooting to the byline and cutting the ball back to the alert Lacazette at the near post. He sweeps it goalwards, despite pressure from Luiz, but Courtois is down quickly to make a good save.
16 min: Arsenal muster some cohesion for the first time, Lacazette holding up the ball well and moving it on to Iwobi, who plays an instant pass inside Alonso for Bellerin to scamper on to. Bellerin crosses first time and it’s an excellent delivery, on to Welbeck’s head, but he’s maybe just stretching a bit too much, leading him to plant his free header just wide.
14 min: I can exclusively reveal that Kante is winning a lot of loose balls. Chelsea keep pushing Arsenal back. Michael Oliver plays an advantage on the right, allowing Moses to charge down the flank and hang a cross into the middle. It’s just too high for Morata.
11 min: The Azpilicueta-Morata combo almost comes off Chelsea again after a flowing move. However Morata’s offside and anyway he heads wide.
9 min: Victor Moses returns to the pitch, but he isn’t moving freely.
8 min: Crossing’s Davide Zappacosta is warming up.
7 min: Play is stopped after a collision between Moses and Lacazette, the pair of them down after clashing knees.
5 min: A corner to Chelsea on the right. Willian and Fabregas opt for a short one. Lacazette falls asleep and lets Fabregas peel off him. The Spaniard reaches the byline and drives a low ball into the six-yard box. It’s shovelled behind for another corner, which comes to nothing.
3 min: Arsenal are rocking. Chelsea are all over them. They’re finding too much space in the middle, threatening to take advantage of Arsenal’s nervousness and lack of organisation. Willian again leads a charge, stepping past Monreal too easily, but he’s tackled before he can advance any further. The ball runs to Fabregas, who sweeps it out to Pedro on the left. He cuts inside and shoots straight at Cech from 20 yards.
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2 min: Chelsea bustle forward again, Pedro and Moses pestering Arsenal down the right this time. Moses wins the ball off Kolasinac, who struggles to clear his lines, but Cech claims the wing-back’s cross towards Morata.
And we’re off! Chelsea, in blue, get the game underway, attacking from right to left in the first half. There’s plenty of noise inside Stamford Bridge. It’s not long before Chelsea are attacking through the middle, Morata laying off deftly to Willian, who can’t return the ball to the Spaniard. That was a chance for the Brazilian to carve Arsenal open, but he couldn’t take it.
Here come the teams. It’s time for The Liquidator! “In the tunnel Koscielny looks as though he is taking a moment to question the point of it all and lingering over thoughts of where he would rather be right now,” says Ian Copestake. “Not that I am projecting or anything!”
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Antonio Conte speaks. “When you have to play seven games in 21 days, it is normal to have a plan and then make the best decision game by game. Eden is very close and he is improving very well.”
Arsene Wenger speaks. “Mesut is injured and Sanchez is close to his best. He played midweek and he is close to starting. Every game is an opportunity to change the history. You have an example that is very negative and we have a chance to change that today. We know we can be strong away from home. We played only four games and we had a difficult start with players coming back late. We have played at Liverpool, Chelsea and Stoke, so let’s focus on the result today.”
Gary Neville keeps insisting that Chelsea are going to bulldoze Arsenal in midfield. The inclusion of Cesc Fabregas instead of Tiemoue Bakayako in midfield can certainly be taken as a sign of their confidence.
Pre-match reading
Chelsea make two changes to the team that beat Leicester last weekend, Gary Cahill replacing Antonio Rudiger in defence on his return from suspension and Willian coming in for Tiemoue Bakayoko. Willian’s return means Cesc Fabregas drops into central midfield against his former side, while Antonio Conte has decided to hold back Eden Hazard, who is yet to start this season after an ankle injury.
The big news for Arsenal is that Mesut Ozil is absent with a muscle injury. Alex Iwobi starts in a front three that contains no Alexis Sanchez. The malcontent Chilean, who scored a stunner in that quiet affair against FC Koln on Thursday, is on the bench, Arsene Wenger clearly deciding he isn’t fit enough to start yet. Alexandre Lacazette and Danny Welbeck keep their places after scoring against Bournemouth last weekend. Further back, Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka start in central midfield - it will be interesting to see how they fare given how poor they were against Liverpool. They must protect Arsenal’s back three, otherwise this could get ugly.
Team news
Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso; Willian, Morata, Pedro. Subs: Caballero, Rudiger, Christensen, Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Hazard, Batshuayi.
Arsenal: Cech; Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Bellerin, Xhaka, Ramsey, Kolasinac; Lacazette, Welbeck, Iwobi. Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Sanchez, Walcott, Giroud.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Preamble
Arsenal have had some good days at Stamford Bridge in the Arsene Wenger era. Nigel Winterburn’s last-minute winner, Kanu’s absurd 15-minute hat-trick (cheerio, Ed de Goey), Sylvinho’s Nigel Winterburn impression, a swaggering come-from-behind win from the Invincibles. Best of all, perhaps, was Robin van Persie leaving John Terry flat on his face as he raced clear to put Arsenal ahead in that barmy 5-3 win over Andre Villas-Boas’s happy campers in October 2011. See, it hasn’t all been bad.
And Arsenal have actually done surprisingly well against their bogey side since Antonio Conte’s arrival in west London. It’s almost a year since they walloped Chelsea 3-0 at the Emirates, an experience so harrowing for Branislav Ivanovic that the defender started planning his leaving do midway through the first half, and they also stopped Conte’s men from doing the double, outplaying the champions in the FA Cup final in May. Then they beat them in the Community Shield last month. Could the balance of power be shifting? Three wins in four matches! That looks suspiciously like a power shift right there!
Before Arsenal get too excited, however, it’s probably worth remembering that there has been a lot of bad at Stamford Bridge in recent years. The 6-0 on Wenger’s 1000th birthday. A series of Chelsea counter-punches. Diego Costa’s one-man wind-up merchant show in the dog days of the second Mourinho era. And, of course, Conte’s one win over Wenger, secured back in February, a 3-1 victory that pretty much ended any hopes Arsenal had of winning the title. Banned from the touchline, Wenger was sitting in the stands, seething and helpless, watching as Eden Hazard ripped Arsenal apart and sections of the visiting support turned on their manager. Given how these things tend to go, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a repeat this afternoon.
After all, Arsenal’s last away game was that wretched, lily-livered, tactically incompetent 4-0 defeat at Anfield. They’ve started with two defeats on the road, losing at Stoke and Liverpool without scoring a goal, hardly the best way to prepare for a trip to their least favourite ground. After a tame start, Chelsea are beginning to look ominously strong. They have bouncebackability. A month ago, the mood around Stamford Bridge was tense. The Costa brouhaha exacerbated their frustrations in the transfer market and they began the season with a farcical 3-2 home defeat to Burnley. Since then, however, four straight wins. “I trust myself, in my methods,” Conte says. That self-belief is a useful asset for a manager at this club. The Italian says he wasn’t worried when Chelsea crashed at the Emirates last year. That defeat, of course, gave him the platform to make that inspired switch to a back three and, instead of imploding, Chelsea began to motor, steamrollering away from their title rivals. Chelsea probably haven’t reached their peak yet, but Arsenal are probably going to need a complete performance in order to avoid another Stamford Bridge meltdown.
Kick-off: 1.30pm.
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