Two goals conceded, two goals not helped by our stand in players. Wrong selection or not we badly missed a huge percentage of our first choice defence and keeper

Usually I like to get the team news as soon as it is available which is normally half an hour before kick off, yesterday I wasn’t able to get hold of it as I was away from home. I rushed back just in time for kick off and was a little excited at the prospect of seeing the team take to the field without knowing the line up before hand.

As the players stood in the tunnel I was gathering my information and trying to form the team in my head. ‘oh so Diaby is going to add power to the midfield!, but who is going to miss out if Robin is standing there?’ I thought to myself. Setanta then showed the two line ups and formation. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, the fresh rested Andrey Arshavin who cannot play in the Champions League has been relegated to the substitutes bench and Van Persie was playing out of position on the left wing.

What we do not know is if Arshavin was carrying a knock from training or the previous game, if there was then Arsene certainly didn’t mention it beforehand.

Song was rested and Denilson took his place in the starting 11 which was fair enough as Song has had many games lately and Denilson was fresh, after coming on from the bench against Villarreal. We could have done with the strength of Song but I could understand the switch.

Lukasz Fabianski’s torrid afternoon began in the 4th minute when he came rushing out of his goal to meet a long ball but got nowhere near getting anything to it. Drogba headed past him and the ball was bouncing towards goal but Gibbs ran back to clear off the line. The incident was almost identical to the Wigan game when Gibbs cleared from Mido’s header, the only unfortunate difference was that Fabianski didn’t get Drogba injured in the process, oh how that could have helped.

Arsenal started very positively and passed around Chelsea, the team were rewarded in the 18th minute. Anelka didn’t track Kieran Gibbs run on the left and his cross fell to Walcott who hit a first time shot off the hand of Ashley Cole and past Petr Cech for 1-0.

Instead of Arsenal being lifted from the goal, Chelsea forced their way back into the game and Arsenal stopped passing the ball as well.

Robin Van Persie could have scored a second on the break when Diaby burst forward from his own half, Van Persie slipped as he connected with Diaby’s square pass.

Chelsea were level just after the half an hour mark. A long ball found Malouda on the left he cut inside without a challenge from Eboue and he hit a right foot shot low past Fabianski in his near post.

The game swung in Chelsea’s favour, Diaby attempted turning players in his own box and lost it, Anelka hit a low shot that cannoned back off the post in the 37th minute.

So half time its all square, we started the stronger but Chelsea have grown into the game and are dominating. Perhaps our strong bench can win it if it remains level late into the game.

Just after half time Adebayor blazed a volley over the bar from the edge of the box. Adebayor got little change from John Terry and Alex and could not get into the game.

Theo Walcott was once again our most effective attacking player, causing Ashley Cole all sorts of problems. Van Persie on the other side worked hard but could not cause Chelsea problems from wide areas. He is not quick or mobile enough to get away from a tight defender. Most of the time Van Persie would turn away from Chelsea and pass it square or get clattered.

I do not remember one game where Van Persie had a great game playing on the left and to me he is a round peg in a square hole instead of the other way round. Van Persie is very effective just outside the penalty area where he can shift the ball and slide balls through or use his powerful shooting.

In the 69th minute Mikael Silvestre got away with a handball inside the penalty area during a tussle with Drogba.

On the 75th minute Andrey Arshavin replaced Robin Van Persie who picked up a groin injury.

Bendtner replaced Adebayor who didn’t have his most influential game and a minute later Chelsea won the game. A long ball was played forward to Drogba who chased with Silvestre, Drogba out muscled Silvestre who for some reason stopped chasing back and Fabianski came racing out of his goal again, Drogba’s task was made much easier as Drogba rounded him and slotted into an empty net. Had Silvestre kept up with Drogba and Fabianski held his ground a goal may have been prevented. Drogba was running on his left side, certainly not his strongest foot, he could have tried to turn back on his right which could have been dealt with by Silvestre or Fabianski could have stopped his left foot shot had it been on target.

Two goals conceded, two goals not helped by our stand in players. Wrong selection or not we badly missed a huge percentage of our first choice defence and keeper.

Hopefully all those Almunia doubters can now understand what a good goalkeeper he is. Fabianski is a great shot stopper but clearly has much to learn about decision making. Decisions that Almunia has learnt from his experience as number 1.

Nasri replaced an off form Denilson immediately after the goal but it was too late for Arshavin and Nasri to make an impact on the game.

The Wembley pitch played into Chelsea’s hands and did not benefit Arsenal’s passing football. I don’t know if it was the instructions from the bench but we started hitting it long after Chelsea equalised and we could not get a strangle hold on the game.

Wenger has always said that he thinks of his own team and not too much about the opponents. I would have liked to have seen us play our normal game and if that wasn’t working then re jig to counter Chelsea but it wasn’t to be.

Lets hope the team can pick themselves up from this defeat and do the business in the Champions League when surely we will not have such an horrific list of defensive injuries. The Fa Cup was always Arsene’s 3rd priority so as disappointing as it is lets pick ourselves up and win the one we really want.

Top Gun goes to the young left back Kieran Gibbs who didn’t put a foot wrong and tried to push forward to make things happen. Gibbs has a bright future at the club.