Chelsea hold Arsenal for a dull 0-0 draw at the Emirates stadium to maintain a huge 10 points gap at the top of the table. It is now a matter time, as Chelsea will surely lift the Premier League trophy this season. As expected they were engaged in physical football and concentrated on midfield blocking. From the beginning of the game their approach was to cancel out Arsenal in the midfield area and go for counter-attacks whenever possible.
Arsenal tried utmost to find one goal at their backyard but failed to break a resolute and compact Chelsea defense. They were wasteful too which hampered their cause. A point from this game is good enough to secure their second position in the league table.
Arsenal
David Ospina: 7/10
The Colombian goalkeeper got a start after sitting out during last weeka s FA Cup semi final game against Reading. David Ospina had an average day under the bar. He saved quite a few chances but was lucky enough not to concede a penalty when crashed with Oscar inside the penalty box in the early stages of the game.
Hector Bellerin: 7/10
Hector Bellerin failed to display his usual form on the pitch as he made some defensive mistakes allowing Eden Hazard and Willian to overpower him. He has set a standard for himself by performing brilliantly in the last few months and did not live up to that expectation. Nonetheless, his speedy overlaps were effective.
Per Mertesacker: 8/10
The German talisman marshaled the defense well and lead from the front. He was instrumental in stopping the counter-attacks of Chelsea and denied the attackers from being dangerous. At times, he also went ahead to score.
Laurent Koscielny: 7.5/10
Laurent Koscielny too was outstanding in the defensive zone and ably supported Mertesacker in stopping the speedy Chelsea counter-attacks. He kept a strict marking on Oscar and later Hazard.
Nacho Monreal: 7/10
The Spaniard had an average day in the office. He looked shaky at times as Willian often outpaced and overpower him of the right flank. He was forced to play physical in order to cope up with the speedy Chelsea attacks.
Francis Coquelin: 7.5/10
The young French midfielder had a good game against a physically strong and quality Chelsea side. It was obvious that Jose Mourinhoa s side will battle it out in the midfield area and Coquelin did a decent job as a holding midfielder.
Aaron Ramsey: 7.5/10
Aaron Ramsey had an average day in the office. He was never exceptional but did a fair job in the right flank. He often switched flanks with Alexis Sanchez and his performance made a mark at patches during the game.
Mesut Ozil: 8/10
We could not see the usual creativity inside Mesut Ozil in the game as the Chelsea defenders were involved in a physical tussle each and every time Arsenal launched an attack. But still his stellar passes and crosses proved dangerous at times. Ozil was guilty of not converting an easy goal from six yards away from Nacho Monreala s cross in the dying moments of the game.
Santi Cazorla: 8/10
Santi Cazorla as usual worked hard in the midfield and performed a box to box duty. He went back to support the defenders during counter attacks and also showed creativity while his team was going forward. Overall he had a good game.
Alexis Sanchez: 8.5/10
The Chilean talisman was yet again the standout performer for Arsene Wengera s side in the game. He operated with down the flanks; he was crafty and skillful and imposed a lot of threat on the wing backs of Chelsea. Branislav Ivanovic was forced to bring him down quite a few times in order to stop him.
Olivier Giroud: 6.5/10
Olivier Giroud did not have much impact on the game as he was strongly marked by the Chelsea center backs. Giroud got very few opportunities and failed to convert them. He was nothing exceptional.
Substitutes
Danny Welbeck: 6.5/10
Danny Welbeck replaced Francis Coquelin in the second half. Welbeck played in the wings initially and later shifted to striker position. He had zero impact as a pact in either of the positions and was often caught napping in the attacking third.
Theo Walcott: N/A
Came as a late substitute and did not have much impact on the game.
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtios: 8/10
The Belgian custodian had a nervous start but coped up well as the game progressed. He performed well and protected the Chelsea goal efficiently. He pulled off some good saves.
Branislav Ivanovic: 7.5/10
Branislav Ivanovic played physical football against the Gunners. He fouled Alexis Sanchez many a times but did a good job in the defense. He was strong and was instrumental in marking the best player of Arsenal.
Garry Cahill: 7/10
Alongside John Terry, the English center back had a decent outing. He played well last night but was at fault when he handled the ball in the first half. The referee could have given a penalty and flashed a red card at Garry Cahill.
John Terry: 8/10
John Terry led the defense well and displayed a compact show in front of the goalkeeper. Arsenal dominated the match for the majority of the time which created an immense pressure on the Chelsea defense. But the veteran defenders showed resolute defending and canceled all Arsenal attacks.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
The Spanish full-back was nothing exceptional yesterday. He had a decent outing and did well to keep a check on Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez on his flank. His overlap runs where useful at times for Chelsea.
Nemanja Matic: 8/10
Nemanja Matic was strong and resolute in the midfield. He stayed back for the majority of the game and performed a pivotal role. He often tracked back very deep to perform the duties of a third center back beside john Terry and Garry Cahill.
Ramires: 6.5/10
Ramires was not up to the mark. He played physical football and his attacks were also not impressive. In the first half he got a golden opportunity to score from a wonder pass from Willian. From a one on one situation he failed to convert as Ospina pulled off a good save.
Willian: 8/10
The Brazilian worked very hard and perfectly suited his managera s tactics. He went up and down and performed a key role in the midfield. No wonder he is always preferred by Jose Mourinho against big teams.
Cesc Fabregas: 7/10
It was always going to be tough for Cesc Fabregas who made a comeback at Emirates after a long time. As expected he was not welcomed with open arms. From the beginning of the game whenever he got possession the home fans were not particularly encouraging which intimidated him a bit. Nonetheless, his passes and crossed very accurate most of the times.
Eden Hazard: 8.5/10
The standout performer for Chelsea last night, Eden Hazard worked very hard to protect his defenders and go all out for attacks whenever there was an opportunity. He was crafty and skillful and his passes and crossed were pin point.
Oscar: 6.5/10
Played for just one half and was physically outplayed by Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. He was used as a striker by Jose Mourinho and he failed to cope up in his new position. His clash with David Ospina got him injured and thus was replaced in the second half.
Substitute
Didier Drogba: 6/10
The veteran was not fully fit to start the game; as a result he came on as a substitution replacing Oscar in the beginning of the second half. Drogba had a very average outing and did not have much impact as the main striker.
Kurt Zouma: N/A
Kurt Zouma came as a late substitution