3 Things We Learnt From Arsenal’s 1-0 Loss To Chelsea: The Gunners Are Still The Chokers

Whenever Chelsea take on Arsenal, either at Stamford Bridge or at Emirates, you know any team can oust the other. And it’s a game in which form well and truly goes out of the window and it’s the performance on the given day that actually matters the most. And Chelsea proved that once again when they emerged as 1-0 winners at the Emirates against 10-man Gunners.

Diego Costa’s strike minutes after Per Mertesacker’s sending off was enough to deny Arsenal any point, in a performance that dented their title hopes. After being down to ten men, Arsenal did fight well enough but could not salvage a point from the big clash at North London. And here are some of the things that we can learn from Arsenal’s loss:

Arsenal are still good at choking

Arsenal headed into the game as favorites for yielding all three points against a struggling Chelsea unit, but as it has always been- they messed it all up. Mertesacker’s sending off could’ve been avoided. The big German looked at the linesman before going in with the challenge and it was undeniably foolish of him to do so. Wenger’s decision to take off Olivier Giroud for bringing on Gabriel Paulista after Per’s sending off was another decision that swayed the game in Chelsea’ favor. Although, the performance was a tad encouraging, but Arsenal’s failure to beat the big clubs shows they still have a soft underbelly, especially against Chelsea.

2. Joel Campbell may still have a future at Arsenal

This was almost unheard of a month ago and the Costa Rican was expected to leave the Emirates in the coming days. But the man who destroyed Manchester United during his loan spell at Olympiakos has proved that he isn’t the kind of a player who will go down without a fight. He started the game and played well, showing glimpses of what he’s capable of throughout his stay on the pitch. The 23-year-old is being deployed on the right flank by Arsene Wenger and although it isn’t his preferred position, but he still puts in impressive performances in almost every game he plays.

3. Chelsea’ best performance of the season against the stiffest opposition

This was arguably Chelsea’s best performance of the season in the Premier League, alongside their 3-0 mauling of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in early January. Branislav Ivanovic put in an impressive performance, grabbing an assist with a defense piercing pass that led to the goal. Cesc Fabregas looked more like his real self and Diego Costa got the goal that made the difference in the end. Nemanja Matic looked better than he has throughout the season and alongside John Obi Mikel the midfield pivot which had excelled last season, seemed to work out.