It’s game over isn’t??
Chelsea got the draw they came to the Emirates for and they celebrated after the game like they had just won the league.
But then, what can we say? Plus or minus, the league is theirs right?
There will be the usual bus parking guff after this, of course, as there always is when Chelsea tough it out. The bottom line is however, that no team goes 10 points clear just by defending. They go 10 clear by being the best, and then defending that lead. Control over both facets of the game. It isn’t easy.
No goals, but no shortage of incident or entertainment.
Arsenal’s feint title hopes were all but ended after they were kept at bay by Chelsea, but the home side did enough to suggest they can push the champions-elect close next season.
The pre-match debate which was all about Bellerin or Debuchy starting was saved by Wenger.
Bellerin got the nod above Debuchy. We could thank his speed and his recent form for that I guess.
[quote font_size=”20″ color=”#dd3333″ bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes” align=”left”]Arsenal’s feint title hopes were all but ended after they were kept at bay by Chelsea[/quote]Arsenal’s feint title hopes were all but ended after they were kept at bay by Chelsea, but the home side did enough to suggest they can push the champions-elect close next season.
There were four penalty appeals turned down in the first half, from the persuasive – Oscar’s clattering by David Ospina – to the not-so-convincing – tumble that earned Cesc Fabregas a yellow card on his return to Emirates Stadium.
The impressive Hector Bellerin saved a certain goal with a clearing header from Oscar’s effort, Alexis and Mesut Ozil went close at the other end and Santi Cazorla’s effort hit Gary Cahill’s outstretched arm inside the box.
It was as good as Chelsea just came to play the game just so it would not be like they forfeited the game. They were just there, in front of their goal, always, all the time.
Arsenal’s transition from defence to attack was real quick, 0 to a 100 real quick *in Drake’s voice*.
Quick passes from the back to the front but then again, we failed to nail it. Missing some chances, one or two poor passes in the final third.
It was a good game from the team overall but, then let’s all hope that Welbeck’s chance doesn’t come to haunt us ‘cos even my grandma could have at least touched the ball there.
I’m just sad for Wenger that he has once again failed to win Mourinho.
Speaking after the game, when asked if he should have beaten Mou, Wenger said:
It’s about our club and our team, not about me. What you want is to win the game for the club. The rest may be good for media talk but it’s less interesting [for me]. What is important is what happens on the football pitch.”
“We want to finish this season well and when you look at the other results – I watched Aston Villa against Manchester City, and today Manchester United – every game is difficult. We need to absolutely keep focused until the end of the game, and then we can see what we can do next season. Let’s finish well. We have a strong end now. We go to Hull and then we want to secure top four before the FA Cup final because that battle is not done yet. After that, we can look at the top three or the top two. It’s all to do now.”
In other news though, we can all be happy for Alexis Sanchez as he was named in the PFA team of the year. The full team consisted of:
David de Gea (Manchester United)
John Terry (Chelsea)
Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
Ryan Bertrand (Southampton)
Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Alexis (Arsenal)
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
In the end, it was a stalemate and Chelsea are as good as champions.
So just a point for Arsenal, but Manchester United’s heavy defeat at Everton means the Gunners are still well-placed for a top-two finish. They sit third, two points clear of United and behind Manchester City on goal difference, having played a game less.
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