Goals from Marcos Alonso, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas secured Chelsea’s place at the top of the table, nine points clear of second-placed Tottenham.
Here is what fan websites of both clubs said after the match:
Chelsea: The Shed End (www.theshedend.com)
“What a great win. Surely the Premier League title is on the way to Stamford Bridge now.
“After Eden Hazard’s display today, I don’t want to hear anyone moan about him again. He will just score another one of those masterpiece goals to make the doubters eat humble pie. He most certainly deserved his Man of the Match award.
“That said, we should really have put five past Arsenal today given the amount of chances we had. We could have completely demolished them. If you had offered me four out of six points before these two games, I’d have snapped your arm off.
“The penalty midweek still stings a bit but with Arsenal and Spurs letting us off the hook, all in all, it has been a terrific week for our club.
“Diego Costa worked relentlessly but it just didn’t click for him today. He’s been fantastic all season but he clearly had an off day. Keeper Thibaut Courtois was world class too and probably deserved a clean sheet.
“Arsenal had the possession to be fair but we were the more dangerous team from start to finish. The only thing Arsenal can take out of that game is the fact they didn’t get another 6-0 thrashing. The scoreline flatters Arsene Wenger’s team to be honest.
“That was possibly the performance of the season so far. Can anyone catch us now?”
Arsenal: Arsenal Mania (www.arsenal-mania.com)
“The season is over. That’s no league title for 13 years now. We have to get rid of Arsene Wenger –- it’s the only way we can actually move forward. I think that old dinosaur is holding us back.
“We were outnumbered in the middle of the park and didn’t really offer much of a threat inside the wing-back areas of the field. That’s strange because for me this was an area that could easily have been exploited.
“Our squad is pretty average bar about four players and lots of Arsenal fans will agree with that. Chelsea are strong in all positions and they’ve got the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Willian on the bench. That says it all.
“It feels like we go through the five stages of grief with this club every season. It goes without saying which stage most of us are at now.
“We might as well write this year off. Bayern Munich will ruin us and anything else –- the FA Cup for example –- just won’t do for the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. I think we’re heading for another exodus. Losing Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie hurt a lot and so will losing these two in the summer.”
(Compiled by Claire Bloomfield; Editing by Clare Fallon)
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title: “Chelsea V Arsenal The Fans View” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Richard Noonan”
LONDON (Reuters) - Leaders Chelsea host London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Although third-placed Arsenal won 3-0 when the sides met in the Premier League earlier this season, Chelsea’s impressive form since then has helped them to win 17 of their last 20 games across all competitions.
Here is what the fans have to say about their respective clubs:
Ceri Levy, The Chels Podcast: www.ChelseaPodcast.net
“I always thought that the game against Liverpool would be tough especially after their recent performances. The draw still keeps us firmly in the driving seat and we extended our lead over Arsenal so not a bad night’s work overall.
“This fixture (v Arsenal) is always intriguing. We have had the wood over them for the last few years and a fixture that historically filled me with fear is now something I look forward to.
“I think we will win 3-1 this weekend. I believe we will overrun their defence and if they have not sorted out how to keep calm they will disintegrate.
“I am interested to see if Gabriel plays because he seems so nervous whenever (Diego) Costa is about and in form.
“But Costa’s penalty miss at Anfield could be important for Arsenal as it reminded Diego that he has flaws. When he was subbed against Liverpool you could see him chuntering away. It’s a good sign for the Blues but a bad sign for Arsenal’s defenders. Bring it on!
“You can never be overly confident when it comes to the title race. There are still areas for improvement but I do believe that with the way the players are performing we have to believe we can win the title.
“If we beat Arsenal on Saturday I would suggest that may be the death knell ringing out across the land for all the other title contenders.”
Akhil Vyas, Arsenal Supporters Trust, www.arsenaltrust.org
“Arsenal’s defeat to Watford (on Tuesday) was a decisive blow. We have left ourselves with no margin for error at Stamford Bridge this weekend. We missed the chance to close the gap at the top and pull away from (fourth-placed) Liverpool and (second-placed) Spurs.
“It’s hard not to lose faith in the title when you lose at home to Watford - with respect - and you are sitting nine points behind the leaders.
“If we had taken three points in midweek then we would be going into this game full of confidence. Now we know another defeat will end any faint hopes of a title challenge so we’re looking at this fixture with fear.
“Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Alex Iwobi and Mesut Ozil were the four that played in the 3-0 win against Chelsea earlier this season. It could be the same line up again.
“I hope Arsenal return to the way they played earlier in the season, with pace, intensity and purpose. If we play like that then we can hurt Chelsea.
“It’s difficult to say if Arsene Wenger’s touchline ban is to blame because it didn’t seem to affect us at St Mary’s Stadium (where we beat Southampton 5-0 last weekend). But it seemed quite chaotic with no visible formation and players were all over the place again on Tuesday (against Watford).
“I’ll go for a 1-1 but it could easily go 2-1 either way. Stopping Diego Costa is obviously going to be key. It’s important not to get involved with him but keep winning those key moments and frustrate him.”
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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