It shouldn’t have stood given the fact that Van Persie was offside when he received the ball but I remember clearly a match at Highbury when I first witnessed Van Persie playing on the left, slotted in a perfectly fine goal against Chelsea

Match Review – Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2 – Premier League

Arsene Wenger started the season with the same plan as the rest of the top 4 managers. Win as many games as possible and try and take points from the other title contenders. Lose less than the rest and you have a pretty good chance of being up there fighting for the title.

His tinkered side that lead the way for most of last season had fundamental problems that were exposed by the likes of Fulham, Hull City, Stoke City, Manchester City (pretty much every city you could find) and Aston Villa. 5 defeats before December caused Arsene Wenger to tear up his script and write another. He had to find another plan because plan A had disappeared. I can imagine Arsene sitting at his desk with his calculator, working out the different variables and what if’s.

His new Plan B included solving the leadership issue. Take the armband away from Gallas without upsetting him too much, so public displays of respect and confidence were important. Give the armband to Cesc who is a popular choice in the dressing room. Stop high balls into the box by finally giving Djourou the run that he needs. Protect the back four by playing the only real defensive midfield player in the first team squad. But most importantly plan B says that Arsenal now have to gain points back on the contenders by beating them outright, home or away, it doesn’t matter. But only victories will do at the moment. Manchester United were first of the big boys to suffer at the hands of Arsenal. Could Arsenal go against the odds and do the same to title favourites Chelsea.

A few mates of mine were due to come over with their partners, a bit of a social gathering mixed in with Sky Sports 1 at 4pm. At 3pm I rushed over to Iceland to grab some munch that I could throw in the oven. While I was walking around throwing piles of unhealthy delicious food into my basket, I wondered if the team news had been given, so I flicked on my phone, searched around a few forums and sites and found a comment stating that JD was in Silvestre out, Song and Denilson start.

Wow, big game and Arsene has not selected one of the experienced players. He has given Djourou his chance. I rushed back and met my friends with the wags at my door step who turned up a few second before myself.

I had been confident about this game the moment that I found out that Cesc was the new Arsenal captain. A fresh start and new found confidence that the team needed. Everyone is writing us off, everyone thinks that Chelsea will wipe the floor with a bunch of kids who can’t beat Stoke City. I texed Squid Boy the night before, boldly predicting a 2-0 score line. The next day while I was doing the My Vision I found myself a little more cautious and went for 2-1 to us. My predicted goal scorers were guesses rather than gut feeling.

Plan B was well and truly on show, Van Persie was playing upfront alongside Adebayor at Stamford Bridge! He hasn’t made the Dutchman into a waste of space on the left.

The game started at the tempo that you would expect from these two sides. Quick, aggressive, purposeful.

Arsenal’s first real chance came in the 14th minute, Adebayor crossed to the far post which Cesc managed to stab a right footed shot at which Cech pushed out, William Gallas couldn’t quite turn in the rebound. How the former capi would have loved a goal at Stamford Bridge.

The game was end to end and Chelsea looked dangerous going forward, especially right back Bosingwa who caused problems for Clichy and Nasri. Frank ‘deflection’ Lampard powered a header from a right wing cross straight at Almunia in the 23rd minute.

Johan Djourou was answering everything that was being asked of him from the Chelsea team. He was powerful in the air, commanding on the floor and his partnership with Gallas looks like a winning formula. On the 31st minute Chelsea threw in a trick question which was unfair on the young Swiss. Almunia will have to hold his hands up and expect the blame for this one. The Spanglish (stolen without shame from Squid Boy) one caught a cross and threw it to hard to Nasri who would have been in trouble had he received the ball to feet anyway. Chelsea overloaded us on the right as Nasri was caught further afield. Anelka played the ball to Portuguese flyer Bosingwa who crossed a low powerful ball into the danger area, Djourou had to try and cut it out as he was the first man to reach it. The ball deflected in past Almunia for the opening goal.

I was genuinely shocked. We are not supposed to go a goal down. How are we supposed to win at Stamford Bridge being a goal down? It was all planned already in my head. We were going to open the scoring with Chelsea equalising, then we would get the winner. It wasn’t going to be that way.

Bacary Sagna back in the side after weeks out with ankle problems showed once again that he can slot straight back into the side without any problems. He was immense, when he is not in the side it clearly shows. Sagna made a super tackle on Anelka, just when the striker was about to strike.

Petr Cech was the busiest of the two keepers and had to deal with a right footed drive from Van Persie, that should have been a warning to the big keeper.

There were a few half chances before the half time whistle but nothing of the quality needed to break through. One of my mates asked if I would take 1-1 at full time and I refused. A point is better than a defeat though he came back at me. Well I disagree, Plan B is not about making do against our challengers. We had to turn this around because a draw is as good as a defeat in our position.

Joke bets were being made between us about Anelka and Adebayor. Who would be caught offside most during the 90 minutes, an answer I still cannot give as I do not have a clue, anyone who does know then help me out.

The second half started with no changes to either side, surely if things stay as they are then he has to bring on Vela for Song and switch Denilson inside alongside Cesc. But don’t leave it too long I screamed at the screen. What do I know?

On 49 Deco slipped in a wonderful reverse pass to Cashley Cole but Djourou was quick to snuff out the danger. Arsenal’s back four actually looked like a unit. It wasn’t just a selection of defenders thrown into a defence to do what they wanted. The work of Alex Song will get unnoticed by many due to his lack of technical ability but defensively I thought he was superb. He is a player that I cannot make my mind up about. He is probably our only real holding player in our squad but his touch and passing sometimes lets him down. He can look immobile and sluggish but he does have a presence. He broken down many Chelsea moves and started Arsenal attacks. That is what you want from your holding player.

Frank Lampard could have wrapped the game up for Chelsea, on 52 the ball dropped to him on his left side with Almunia to beat, his left foot shot was screwed wide of the far post. A massive let off, had it been on his other side then the game would have been over.

Just short of the hour mark Arsenal finally got the breakthrough there football deserved. Adebayor won a long ball in the air, Sami Nasri side footed to Denilson who took it on his chest and cushioned a through ball into Van Persie who was standing in an offside position. The Dutchman took a touch a swung his weaker right foot and the ball flew into the top corner of Petr Cech’s net. 1-1, game on.

It shouldn’t have stood given the fact that Van Persie was offside when he received the ball but I remember clearly a match at Highbury when I first witnessed Van Persie playing on the left, slotted in a perfectly fine goal against Chelsea that was chalked off. It is nice when Karma is your friend.

On the hour, John Terry (that loveable guy) was booked for yet another two footed lunge on an Arsenal player. Credit to Bacary Sagna who bounced up as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t as bad as the one on Cesc Fabregas a few years back but something has to be done so he stops doing this. Not that anything will be done about Mr England.

The Gunners had their tails up and smelt Chelsea blood. Barely three minutes after the equalising goal, Adebayor leapt highest to a Cesc freekick his header was powered into the feet of Van Persie, he took a touch across his body and fired the ball underneath Frank ‘deflection’ Lampard into the corner of Cech’s goal. GET IN!!!!!

His first was very Van Persie, instinctive and powerful, his second was more Eduardo, calculated and lethal.

I looked at the clock and gasped! It is only 60 minutes, how are we going to hold on for another 30? I screamed, mostly to myself. We need another 2 goals to be safe, one of my friends shouted out, probably having Tottenham Hotspur flowing through his mind at the time.

Gael Clichy doing his own impersonation of Lionel Messi after jinking his way past several Chelsea players was cynically blocked off by Ivanovic on 67 minutes who should have collected about 4 yellow cards during the 90 minutes. The referee should have sent off both their center backs but you know that would never happen.

A chance for Robin Van Persie to grab his first Arsenal hat trick. It felt right, I was waiting for it to hit the net but the Dutchman concentrated too much on power, when perhaps placement would have been enough to have beaten Cech.

I am still surprised that the man with no real position has never scored an Arsenal treble before.

If Adebayor and Van Persie can both stay fit then it will be interesting to see who comes out with the most goals, I still do not think they are the most suited of partnerships but they do have a good understanding that is working well.

Adebayor was not at his best although having a hand in both goals. His physical power and aerial ability is most of the reason why he is in the side in the first place but you must not forget that it is his first game back in quite a while, it takes a few games to regain that match sharpness that is needed at the top level.

There was a moment during the second half when Adebayor produced a touch from a pass that spun away from the Chelsea defender instead of sprinting towards goal he turned back and played the ball behind him. I can only assume that he was not aware of his bearings. He would have been clean through.

Chelsea replaced their anchor man (Mikel) for a wide player (Malouda) in an attempt to create more chances. The Chelsea team were reduced to long range efforts as they struggled to create any clear cut chances. Djourou had put the ball into his own net and Chelsea only managed one attempt on Almunia’s goal throughout the whole match. How I am glad that Jose Mouriniho is no longer there.

I expected the Chelsea to throw the kitchen sink at us but they kept hitting the brick wall which was our back four. Djourou, Sagna, Gallas and Clichy were all immense. Clichy was all over the pitch, storming around like a man possessed. Clichy could have had a run through on goal but instead of going outside Ivanovic he cut inside him and was chopped down for this first official yellow card but he could have had a hat trick before that.

Midweek goalscorer Bendtner replaced Adebayor which was pleasing to see. Adebayor usually stays on the pitch regardless of performance as he defends from the front and is the focal point of our attack. Perhaps the fact that he has not had games played a part in that. Bendtner did well when he came on and slide in Denilson on the right but his touch was heavy and it ran through to Cech.

The full time whistle blew and Arsenal have beaten Chelsea in their own ground for the first time since the invinciblles did so in 2004.

The football was good, Van Persie looked sharp but the most impressive and pleasing aspect from the performance was the defensive efficiency from the side.

On a side note, I would just like to have a say about the Sky Sports panel. Was it me or did you feel that they were utterly unhappy that Chelsea did not win. The whole of the post match talk, especially from former Spurs man Redknapp was all about Chelsea and what they did not do as apposed to what Arsenal did do.

Even when Richard Keys finally pointed out that a mention should go out to Arsenal who beat Chelsea at Stamford bridge, Redknapp stated that Arsenal scored an offside goal that gave them confidence. Then himself and Rudd Guillet (former Chelsea player kept going on about how Chelsea missed Drogba. That is all well and good but we kinda miss Rosicky, Walcott, Eduardo, Eboue and Kolo Toure.

Surely they would have a former Arsenal man on the panel as well as a Chelsea man as both teams did play eachother but you cannot expect anything else from them.

So Plan B is going well, but there is a slight problem. The small print states that ‘Plan B is only effective if Plan A is carried through, which needs to start next weekend against Wigan at the Emirates.