Chelsea have one hand on the Premier League title after cruising past Arsenal to move 12 points clear at the top of the table (before Tottenham’s game). The league leaders beat the Gunners 3-1 at the Stamford Bridge, to all but put an end to the title race.
Arsenal started the game with more of the possession, but it did not take Chelsea long to get going as Pedro sent in a brilliant cross from the right-side in the 13rd minute, which Diego Costa headed powerfully, only to see it hit the crossbar. However, Marcos Alonso showed great instincts to pounce on the rebound and bury it past Petr Cech. The home team continued to dominate proceedings for the rest of the half but there was no change to the scoreline.
Soon after the restart, it was time for some magic at Stamford Bridge as Eden Hazard collected the ball in his own half and went on a mesmerizing run, first eluding Laurent Koscielny, then powering past Francis Coquelin and beating Koscielny again before burying the ball in the net to double Chelsea’s advantage. Substitute Cesc Fabregas made it three, capitalizing on a grievous error by Petr Cech to hit the ball into an open net. Olivier Giroud pulled one back for Arsenal late in the game, but the match was done and dusted by then.
Chelsea went twelve points clear at the top and just strengthened their claim for title with an emphatic victory against one of their competitors. Let’s take a look as to how each Chelsea player fared on the evening:
Thibaut Courtois – 6/10
Invited pressure early in the game with a misplaced pass to Luiz. Brilliant save to deny Gabriel’s headed effort, and made another full-stretch parry to deny Welbeck. However, could have done better to stop Giroud’s consolation goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7/10
An impressive performance from the Spaniard. Offered great cover for Moses on the right side and stepped out to stop plenty of crosses coming into the box.
David Luiz – 6/10
Looked suspect on occasions and let Gabriel free in the box to take a hit at goal, but Chelsea came out safe thanks to Courtois. Improved in the second half and made some important clearances.
Gary Cahill – 7/10
Should have done better from the header after 10 minutes. But was a solid presence at the back for Chelsea, consistently dealing with everything that came his way, making some vital blocks.
Victor Moses – 6/10
Exposed at times at the back with Iwobi and Monreal getting much joy on his flank. But was always a threat going forward.
N’Golo Kante – 8/10
Another majestic performance in the middle of the park by the Frenchman. Broke up play constantly and never allowed the Gunners to settle into a rhythm in the middle of the park.
Nemanja Matic – 7/10
Arsenal found it tough to deal with his physical presence in midfield. Strong and solid, Matic also caused some issues with his vision, picking out some lovely passes. Helped Chelsea dominate the midfield with Kante.
Marcos Alonso – 8/10
Got forward with great vigour. Showed great awareness and strength to pounce upon the rebound from Costa’s effort and beat Cech with an excellent header.
Pedro – 7/10
Great cross to set Costa up which inadvertently led to Alonso’s goal. Forced Cech into a save close to the half-time. Was always a menace with his smart movement, but the final ball was lacking on occasions.
Diego Costa – 7/10
Beat Cech all ends up with an excellent header but bounced back off the crossbar. Came close soon after, making a smart run into the box, but hit the side netting. Not his best game but was quite a handful for the Arsenal defence to deal with.
Eden Hazard – 9/10
Excellent display by the Belgian. Was a huge threat for the Arsenal defence throughout the day with his incessant running with pace and trickery on the ball. Capped the performance with a mind-boggling goal that will surely be a contender for the goal of the season.
Substitutes
Willian – NA
Replaced Pedro in the 83rd minute, not enough time to make an impact.
Cesc Fabregas – 7/10
Came on for Hazard in the 83rd minute and capitalized on Petr Cech’s error to make it three for Chelsea.
Kurt Zouma – NA
Replaced Moses with less than five minutes left on the clock.