Chelsea keeps its grip at top with win at Arsenal
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Chelsea maintained its grip at the top of the Premier League on Sunday by beating Arsenal 3-0 after two goals from Didier Drogba and an own goal.
Drogba scored in the 41st minute after John Terry brought the ball down the left and passed to Ashley Cole. The former Arsenal left back crossed to Drogba, who steered the ball in off the woodwork with his right foot.
An own goal by Thomas Vermaelen, who turned in a cross by Cole with his right knee, put the visitors 2-0 up four minutes later. Chelsea scored a third goal minutes before the final whistle when Drogba's free-kick flew past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
"It was a very good performance," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "If you win 3-0 at Arsenal, you have to do a good job. I think in defensive positions we did a fantastic job. All the players worked for the team, worked to catch the ball in midfield. That is where we won the game."
Chelsea leads the standings with 36 points, five ahead of Manchester United. Arsenal is fourth, 11 points behind Chelsea but with a game in hand.
"It's a team that defends well, that relies on counterattacks," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said of Chelsea. "We spend our time developing plays and they wait for the fast break. Based on what I saw today, that (Chelsea) team can drop points."
It was the first time Arsenal has lost at Emirates Stadium since its 1-4 defeat to Chelsea in May. That loss was Arsenal's heaviest defeat at Emirates, which opened in 2006. Sunday's loss was also the second straight game that Arsenal failed to score a goal in the league, following last week's 0-1 defeat to Sunderland.
"At the moment, our title race has got a big blow," Wenger said. "Before we speak about the title, we have to win games. You could see that the damage done at Sunderland was deeper, confidence-wise, than it should have been."
Wenger also criticized the referee, saying he got a key decision wrong at the beginning of the second half, when Arsenal had a goal disallowed. The Frenchman, who said the final score was an "unfair reflection of the game," again called for video replays.
Andrei Arshavin had the ball in the net in the 48th minute. TV replays showed Eduardo kicking the ball out of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech's hands, the ball fell for Cesc Fabregas to cross to Arshavin and the Russia blasted the ball home.
Elsewhere, Lee Bowyer scored in the third minute to give Birmingham a 1-0 victory over Midlands rival Wolverhampton, which is in the relegation zone.
