Chelsea Vs Arsenal Liveblog

By: Rob | November 30th, 2008

First vs 5th in another clash of the Big Four today and though I got up too late to do the Manchester Derby, all my attention is going to be here, for sure.

Will Arsenal be able to pull of another spectacular win against a member of the big four? Or Will Chelsea continue at the top. Chelsea’s home form’s been shakey this season, so lets see what going to happen. Find out if Gallas can atone against his old club. Full Liveblog right after the jump.

Teams

Chelsea (4-1-3-2) Cech; Bosingwa; Ivanovic, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel; Ballack, Deco, Lampard; Kalou, Anelka.
Subs: Hilario, Malouda, Bridge, Ferreira, Mineiro, Alex, Stoch

Arsenal: (4-4-2) Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy; Denilson, Fabregas, Song Billong, Nasri; Adebayor, Van Persie.
Subs: Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Silvestre, Wilshere, Bendtner, Gibbs.

Chelsea 1 – 2 Arsenal

Djourou og 29
Van Perise 60
Van Persie 61

Full Time – A Spectacular comeback from Arsenal, means that they might well be back in the title race. Liverpool will be loving this – Chelsea have dropped 12 points at home this season. Crisis? What Crisis?

The Last time Chelsea took the lead at the Bridge and lost was against Arsenal in February 2004.

90+1 – Should be game over. Pink Boots finds him self in acres of space, and plays a good pass to Denilson but his touch lets him down. Well read by Cech.

90 – Ivanovic throws himself into the Pink Boots of Bendtnar. He’s lucky to still be on

89 – Ashley Cole doesn’t have a Kalou where that pass was going.

86 – Malouda sticks his boot in and its way, way over.

85 – Gallas is marshalling the back line really well at the moment, it has to be said.

84 – Ivanovic, who should have been booked earlier is getting a yellow for hacking down Clichy, again.

The man in the pink boots, Nicky Bendtnar is about to come on. Its Adebayour making way.

And with That Deco off, Stoch on. The board went up with Joe Cole’s number, he isn’t even in the ground.

80 Deco blasts one over. Not had a good game.

- Van Persie’s first goal way offside by the way. Ref points to Bosingwa but he was playing RVP offside. No doubt about the second.

76 – Malouda blazes a FK over the bar.

75 – Fabregas plays a neat one two with RVP in the box, but a good tackle from Terry, saves Chelsea for the time being.

74 – Lack of concentration from Deco gives the ball to Adebayour, but Van Persie chances on the near post and the cross goes long.

Random thought, Scolari must be pissed off he can’t just do what Grant did last year and bring Drogba on. Changed the game last season. Drogba’s own fault though.

Chelsea Sub – Mikel off, Malouda on. Ballack has dropped to DM. Deco to AM, and Malouda on the Right.

67 – Clichy intercepts and streaks past 3 or 4 Chelsea players and Ivanovic hacks him down. Van Persie to take the FK. Just over the crossbar.

64 – Arsenal streaming forward, trying to kill the match. Chelsea counter but Lampard’s shot blocked by Nasri.

62 – GOAL! - Cesc sticks in a FK, which is headed down to Van Persie who turns brilliantly and sticks it past Cech.

61 – Terry booked for diving in on a 50-50 challenge with Sagna.

GOAL – A bit of head tennis outside the Chelsea box, and Van Persie blasts it in from 20 yards. He was possibly offside though, the ref pointed to Bosingwa and said he was the one playing RVP on.

57 – Anelka comes over all Ronaldinho by dumming a few times outside the box then trying a cute little chip to Deco. Cut out by the Arsenal defence.

54 – Kalou streams away again on the counter but Anelka’s tried something which hasn’t come off. He says its a pass to Lampard, it was about 20 yards ahead of him.

- Arsene is currently wearing the scowl I always wear during Football Manager.

52 – Lampard will be dissapointed there, put a shot wide when he should be working the goalkeeper.

51 – Anelka sticks a leg out to stop Gallas, conceeds a FK.

49 – Beautiful pass from Deco. The reverse pass catches out Ashley Cole though.

46 – Adebayour offside.

45 – We’re back off.

“Its begining to be awhile since [Wenger] Had a good weekend” – Andy Gray. Beating Man United wasn’t very good was it?

About to be back underway.

Both teams playing quite well, but both just lacking that cutting edge. Chelsea goal a bit fortunate, could still go either way.

Half Time.

45+2 – Lampard plays in Anelka, but the header is just wide.

45+1 – Apparently the only reason Deco misplaced his pass to Kalou was because its hard to pick out a blue shirt with the blue advertising around the outside. This is why you should not subscribe to Sky people.

44 – Adebayour so nearly played in for a tap in, but blocked by Terry.

43 – Anelka is in! No, Almunia beats him to it.

41 – Good attempt by Denilson under pressure, just wide.

40- Wenger arguing with the Fourth Official. Not sure why. On the pitch, Kalou is offside.

38 – Cesc blasts at Cech again.

Portsmouth are 3-2 up against Blackburn now. Sounds like a great game.

36 – Almunia gets a smack in the face from Kalou. Accidently.
33 – Brilliant save from Petr Cech, Ashley Cole is who is falls to, Denilson robs him, but takes a Gilardino type fall in the box. No Pen, obviously.

32 – Brilliant tackle by Sagna in the box saves Arsenal another goal.

GOAL - Own Goal. Almunia catches a corner, rolls it out past Nasri, its intercepted, its played back in and the cross is intercepted by Djourou who knocks it past Almunia.

25 – Lampard beats the flag, but his cross finds Kalou who can’t head goalward

24 – Cech just about deals with a cross from Sagna, he spilled it and the whole crowd got flashbacks to Euro 2008 briefly.

23 – Great chance for Chelsea. Lampard starts the move, gives to to Deco, who plays it wide to Bosingwa who’s cross finds Lampard who’s header produces a great save from Almunia

20 – Beautiful pass from Deco to set in Kalou, but Almunia meets it.

17 – Bosingwa just wasted a good chance to cross to Lampard by shooting.

- Both Couch and Defoe have scored for Pompy, they are 2-0 up against Blackburn.

14 – Those new boots haven’t made Anelka’s shooting any better. He’s just blasted over.

13 – Fábregas blasts against Cech from range.

12 – Gallas takes it of Van Persie, but couldn’t score. He was stretching but couldn’t reach. That would have been a story.

12 Anelka switching boots. Ah that old chesnut.

11 – Ballack so fired up he just went wide to get the ball beat two players and then blasted it at Deco. Deco tried to get out the way it was that fierce.

- Everton have scored against Spurs by the way. 1-0 there.

9 – A counter attack from Kalou sees him streaming forward, but he doesn’t play Lampard in when he has the chance.

8 – Fabregas and Van Persie are waiting to take a corner but they have no ball. What is this, sunday league?

7 – Despite being in a good position to catch, Almunia elects to punch, badly, twice.

6 – Anelka slides in the box, from behind, but Mike Dean adjudges him to have got enough of the ball for it not to be a pen.

4 – Long ranger from Mikel blocked.

3 – Beautiful pass from Deco sees Kalou in, but the lino wrongly flags.

2 – Chelsea taking the early control, passing round midfield.

1 – And we’re off!

Scolari is admiring how good Wenger looks for his age, and says he wants to know his secret because he looks good whereas Scolari looks “More fat” than the last time they met (1997, in the J-League.)