Arsenal Special: Indecisive Defending Cuts Down Gunners' Ambitions

Arsene Wenger's philosophy, as well as his team, was put through the shredder on Sunday as Chelsea out-powered and, ultimately, out-played an injury-weakened Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The result, a 3-0 defeat, was resounding in substance and statistics and left the Gunners trailing the league leaders from west London by eight points - and needing a small miracle if they are to close the gap and fight for the title on the evidence of this performance.

Two beautifully taken goals by Didier Drogba - who took his personal tally to nine in 11 unbeaten meetings with Arsenal - and an own goal from the luckless Thomas Vermaelen provided the decisive moments, but it was the difference in muscle, weight, pace, strength, experience and all-round know-how that most obviously separated the sides. In short, it was boys against men; a team of great technical merit built on the twin foundations of youth and potential steamrolled by a side of enormous solidity and maturity.

This was most obviously demonstrated by contrasting various performers - Drogba, for example, simply continued his habit of terrifying a long series of Arsenal defenders, this time Vermaelen, while, with Robin van Persie missing through injury, the hosts had to rely on the efforts of the diminutive Eduardo and then the youthful Carlos Vela, both of them yet to prove their consistent pedigree as target strikers at this level.

The two defences most starkly proved the difference between the teams. As Arsenal struggled to contain the twin threat of Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, much as expected, Chelsea were only rarely stretched by the efforts of Eduardo, or later Vela, with support from various others as Wenger used everyone at his disposal to try and find a way through.

The visitors' trio of Petr Cech, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho looked as impervious as they were in the halcyon days of Jose Mourinho when they won successive league titles. This outing extended their run of clean sheets to five in the Premier League and the contest continued their streak of scoring in every game.

By contrast, Arsenal's key defensive trio of Manuel Almunia, William Gallas and Vermaelen was never at ease, the goalkeeper in particular continuing to suggest he is auditioning for a comic movie with his indecision, leaden movement and inability to come off his line to take charge of his six-yard box, let alone his penalty area.

Blue is the colour | Ashley Cole got better of Sagna

It was no wonder, in reality, that both first half goals came as they did from left-wing crosses from Ashley Cole that this trio failed to anticipate or clear. The crosses were unquestionably excellent, but for the first Gallas was caught rooted to the spot as Drogba got in behind him and split the central defensive pairing while for the second, when they reacted, there was no call from the goalkeeper who was beaten by a deflection from his own defender.

And it is there, in that relationship between the goalkeeper and his key central defensive pairing, that Arsenal's ambitions have foundered - not the absences of men like van Persie and the two left-backs Gael Clichy and Kieran Gibbs.

Armand Traore, who stood in at left-back, made a decent fist of the job for a youngster in only his second league appearance this season, but he was cautioned again and too often looked out of his depth against such formidable opponents. The same, also, should be said of the two main strikers used as deputies for van Persie - Eduardo and Vela proving that it is easier to score goals in international football for Croatia and Mexico than it is in the Premier League against Chelsea.

Indeed, when Chelsea's defence is considered, several other players' names should be mentioned; notably those of the right-back Branislav Ivanovic and powerhouse defensive midfielders John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien, plus supporting work from Frank Lampard. It was almost impossible for Arsenal to penetrate the muscular web that Chelsea hung across the field to protect their final third and, for all their long spells of possession and much attractive passing football, the great entertainers were unable to create any end product and precious little threat.

Sadly, for Arsenal fans, this resulted in a first home defeat of the season after winning all 11 previous games in all competitions and a second league defeat in succession. It also confirmed that on the evidence of recent seasons Chelsea, and not Arsenal, have the squad and the style to achieve success on the field, irrespective of any marks collected for technical merit and artistry along the way.

Cech has now gone eight hours without conceding a goal in the Premier League and that is a fact that Wenger and Almunia must digest on Monday when the Gunners begin their inquest.

This was an afternoon when Wenger might have picked an extra defender and played for a stalemate, in which he could rely on his clever attacking midfielders to steal something late on, but instead he stuck to his guns, went for an attacking 4-3-3 and endured frustration and pain as his youngsters ran into a wall of blue that refused to yield. Sadly, too, on a day when the early-season goal-feast was crushingly ended, he saw his men lose discipline and sense as frustration took over.

Vermaelen, not enjoying his first clash with Drogba, was reduced to rugby-tackling him at one set piece; Rosicky was lucky to escape a red card for fouling and then kicking Mikel and even Cesc Fabregas, normally a beacon of inspiration in the Arsenal midfield, collected a yellow card for a foul at the end.

Add to that the penalty that was not given when Bacary Sagna hauled down Anelka and it is best, from an Arsenal view, to take stock from this defeat and learn the oldest lesson in sport: that 'a big good 'un will nearly always beat a little good 'un'...    

Tim Collings