Wenger insists Chelsea were on the ropes

SOCCER ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:THE SENSE of déjà vu in this latest Arsenal defeat to Chelsea extended all the way to the frustrated and, some might say, one-eyed analysis of Arsene Wenger.

As the Arsenal manager digested a fifth consecutive reverse in all competitions at the hands of his cross-town rivals and yet another body blow from Didier Drogba, he painted a picture of a match that his team had dominated only to throw away.

Wenger used phrases like "one-way traffic in the second-half" and Chelsea being "on the ropes for long periods" as he reflected on how, in his view, the only difference between the teams had been Chelsea's clinical edge in front of goal.

Arsenal missed two chances in the first minute - the second, an absolute sitter from Laurent Koscielny - and a couple more in the second period while Wenger complained that there had been a foul in the build-up to Drogba's opening goal.

"We dominated this game, quite surprisingly in my opinion," Wenger said. "[ It was] surprisingly easy but we go home with zero points. I feel sorry for my team. They had an outstanding attitude with an outstanding display. We made a demonstration that you can play well and lose.

"The game should have been over before we started it. We had the first two chances in the first minute - I don't know how we managed to miss a header from six yards [ through Koscielny]. At this level, you can get punished. You have to be more clinical. We were unfortunate before the first goal as there was a foul on [ Alex] Song from Ramires. It was 100 per cent a foul."

Chelsea's victory was built on collective strength and ruthlessness but it was underscored by emotion. Carlo Ancelotti lost his father Guiseppe last Thursday and attended the funeral on Saturday. When Drogba had finished celebrating his goal, he ran over to the dug-out to throw a handshake at his manager. Ray Wilkins, Ancelotti's assistant, admitted that the bereavement had made the team's preparations difficult but he praised the players for doing what they had to do.

"The performance was not always pretty to look at," Wilkins said, "but it was effective. We didn't play the type of football we wanted to but you can't always do that. You have to fight and scrap and we have that quality. Then, when we do get into the final third, we have the quality to finish teams off."

Chelsea created a host of chances - Arsenal's Lukasz Fabianski was the busier goalkeeper - and they could revel in, among other things, an excellent performance from Ramires, another screaming free-kick from Alex and, of course, Drogba's continued tormenting of Wenger's team. The Ivorian has now scored 13 goals in 13 unbeaten games against Arsenal.

Chelsea go into the international break four points clear at the top of the table and although Wenger insisted they "can drop points", the confidence at Stamford Bridge is burgeoning. "If we keep our house in order, we'll take a lot of beating," Wilkins said.

Guardian Service