For some Arsenal fans, the very thought of a visit to Stamford Bridge is enough to bring them out in a cold sweat.
In recent years, the trip across London has been a thoroughly miserable experience, with five consecutive defeats in SW6, and an aggregate score of 15-2, the reward for long suffering Arsenal fans. It’s safe to say that Stamford Bridge has hardly been a happy hunting ground for Gunners fans recently, so it was no surprise that few gave Arsenal much of a chance this weekend.
Memories were still uncomfortably fresh in the mind of the hiding at the hands of Liverpool. Victory over a struggling Bournemouth, and in the Europa League against a Cologne side propping up the Bundesliga, seemed merely to paper over the cracks than offer real solutions.
Furthermore, their two contract rebels were not starting, with Sanchez on the bench and Ozil out injured. Some feared this may be a not altogether positive glimpse of the future for Arsenal. The omens did not look good.
Yet something quite unexpected happened. The toothless Arsenal of previous big games were replaced by a far sharper version. They pressed high up the pitch, denying Chelsea space. For 90 minutes they harried and hustled their illustrious opponents.
By the end, Chelsea seemed almost bereft of ideas. One glorious chance for Pedro, created by a masterful pass from Arsenal old boy Fabregas, should have resulted in a goal, but aside from that, carving out clear opportunities proved fiendishly difficult for the champions.
It took the introduction of Eden Hazard as a second half substitute to spark them into life. One wonderful slaloming run reminiscent of the Belgian at this very best reminded everyone how much Chelsea have missed their little magician. His return to full fitness cannot come soon enough.
Arsene Wenger has copped enough criticism for his tactics in big games to fill a small library, but here he concocted a near perfect game plan to counter Chelsea’s qualities.
Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck may lack the power to excite the imagination that their more illustrious want-away colleagues possess, but they were picked to do a specific job. Here they performed their duties admirably, pressing Chelsea from the outset, and denying their marauding wing-backs space down the flanks.
It has taken long enough – a lifetime for younger Arsenal fans – but this seemed to be an example of Wenger picking a team specifically for the match, rather than for his own aesthetic principles. It was even, dare we say, almost Mourinho-esque, with the conservative tactics designed to stifle the opponents.
It feels rather odd to celebrate a goalless draw, but for Arsenal this was the tonic they were in need of. Their side’s record away from home against top six opponents in the past year has been nothing short of dreadful. It has been since January 2015 that Arsenal last recorded an away victory against another of the ‘top six’.
Carved apart far too often, this was finally that rarity – an Arsenal side that showed resilience and solidity in defence against their rivals.
