The Game

Good evening friends and get ready for yet another big English Premier League game at the Emirates. Today, it’s Chelsea paying us a visit and hopefully they will go back with zero points.

Going two whole weeks without any action drove me crazy so I’m glad today’s game was not cancelled as well as I’ve been looking forward to this one for days and days. But anyway, enough chit chat, let’s get down to the action with captain Cesc Fabregas fully fit and hungry to start just like Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby.

Many are saying how today’s is our last chance to demonstrate that we are mature and good enough to beat the big boys. I disagree. One win doesn’t fix all the problems we had to witness year after year after year. As I said in the preview, a win today would be the start of something big but definitely not the end, no.

The game kicks off at 20:00 in the UK and as always credit goes to all those who woke up early to follow their beloved Gunners.

And, until you wait for kick-off, check out why Martin Keown is not at all convinced with Andrey Arshavin’s work rate and also why Arsene Wenger believes Abou Diaby can be mighty important for the Arsenal midfield.

As always, please do join the discussion in our chat room which will also be active after the full time whistle. You will be glad to know that from this season, to provide a better chat experience to our readers, users can be banned if they post offensive comments.

Streaming Links

For those who don’t know where to watch the game, maybe we can help, follow this link for streaming options. Links are updated before and during the match.

The Line-Ups

Arsenal

Fabianski, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Wilshere, Walcott, van Persie, Nasri

Subs: Szczesny, Diaby, Rosicky, Squillaci, Arshavin, Chamakh, Bendtner

Chelsea

Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Essien, Mikel, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, Malouda

Subs: Turnbull, Ramires, Bosingwa, Van Aanholt, Bruma, Kakuta, McEachran

Half-Time Thoughts and Analysis

Finally! For a second I thought this was going to be yet another half of football in which we “dominate” but fail to score. Luckily, Alex Song started and finished a brilliant move with which we took the lead at the perfect possible timing.

It seems Chelsea came at the Emirates determined to sit back and counter attack which let’s face it, is a tactic which worked for many teams in the past, but at the back we’ve been rock solid and took a deserved lead which of course is very important to keep.

Two players I was disappointed with are Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott. Their decision making is poor and considering we need to be fully aware of what’s going on in midfield maybe replacing the 18-year old would be a wise move to make. Up front, Robin van Persie was very active but never managed to find the required space to hit the target.

At half time, it’s Arsenal one, Chelsea NIL.