Chelsea move closer to Premier League title after draw at Arsenal
Wins against Leicester City on Wednesday and Crystal Palace next Sunday will secure for Chelsea its fifth league title. All that Sunday's 0-0 stalemate at the Emirates meant was that the championship will not be secured in April, but any doubt that Chelsea will be champions had disappeared with the 1-0 win over Manchester United last week. In a game that never quite had the significance it perhaps felt as though it ought to, Chelsea, for the second week running, kept a clean sheet against major rivals; when it is out of sorts, when it needs, to use Mourinho's term, to become more "strategic", it is masterful.
This was never really about this season's title: this was more about Arsenal making a case it could be a serious title challenger next season -- and also, perhaps, about the latest installment of the on-going bickering between Arsene Wenger and Mourinho. Mourinho is still unbeaten in 13 meetings between the two - seven wins and six draws - but Wenger could perhaps draw encouragement from the fact that his side was rarely threatened - even if four of his players had to accept yellow cards for stopping counter-attacks in the closing minutes.
As so often recently, Mourinho's approach was to sit deep and wait for a mistake. Arsenal bossed possession in the first half, knocked the ball about neatly, and struggled to create chances - a familiar story in recent meetings between the two sides.
Arsenal this season, though, has paid more attention to the opposition, modifying its approach to negating other teams' strengths and it was noticeable how much attention was paid to Cesc Fabregas who was booed throughout. Certainly after half-time, Arsenal seemed more prepared to drop off and allow Chelsea the ball, looking to strike on the counter. The result was one of those games that is engaging without being thrilling, one that holds the attention without providing much in the way of obvious highlights.
With all three senior center-forwards - Diego Costa, Loic Remy and Didier Drogba - injured, Chelsea began with Oscar as the central striker, flanked by Ramires and Eden Hazard and with Fabregas and Willian in frint of Nemanja Matic. Dominic Solanke, the highly rated 17 year old who has been on the bench in recent weeks wasn't even in the match-day squad. Perhaps this wasn't the match in which to give Solanke his debut, but the fact he hasn't been given his chance despite the injuries does highlight just how difficult it is for young talent to break through at elite clubs.
It was a first half of few chances and many shouts for penalties. First Oscar, making a diagonal run across Hector Bellerin, collapsed after a hand on the shoulder. There seemed little force behind the touch and the referee Michael Oliver gave nothing.
More controversially, in 16 minutes, Bellerin dawdled as Arsenal's back four pushed up, playing Oscar onside as he ran on to Fabregas's pass. He lofted the ball over David Ospina, who then clattered into him. Bellerin recovered to head the ball away as Chelsea appealed for what seemed a fairly obvious penalty. Oscar was withdrawn at half-time with possible concussion (a weirdly delayed decision), replaced by Drogba despite the concerns over his ankle.
There was another strong shout seven minutes later as Fabregas banged legs with Santi Cazorla in the box. The Chelsea player probably exaggerated the contact but the yellow card he was shown for simulation seemed harsh. Arsenal then felt it should have had a penalty when Cazorla, moving on to Bellerin's volleyed cross, struck a shot that hit Gary Cahill on the arm as he lunged in to block. Contact was accidental, but the arm was raised; other referees may have deemed it to have been in an unnatural position.
It was a second half of two teams holding each other at arm's length and a gradually swelling sense that a draw suited both sides. Or at least it seemed that way until Wenger's gambler's instinct took over and he withdrew Francis Coquelin for Danny Welbeck with 13 minutes remaining. A deflected Welbeck shot did draw a smart save from Thibaut Courtois at his near post, but by then the game was edging inexorably towards a goalless draw.
Chelsea's championship party may be delayed, but perhaps it would rather host that at home anyway; while Arsenal, after Manchester United's defeat earlier in the afternoon, went level on points with second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand.
