MOTD: Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

By on April 26, 2015

Chelsea surely could have beaten Arsenal today.  They had the chances, and more importantly, could have felt pleasure in squashing the second-placed side that some still thought had a distant shot at the title.  

It was a scoreless draw, but Chelsea celebrated it like a 5-0 win.  They didn’t even beat Arsenal, yet nonetheless the result was affirmative of Chelsea’s title merits: keeping Arsenal scoreless away was exactly what they set out to do, and the strategy they set out with at the beginning of the season.  In other words, it was classic Mourinho Chelsea, which is exactly why they deserve the title.

The Blues got the work done.  Although they only needed two wins out of six to cinch the silverware, Arsenal remained their biggest match.  Jose Mourinho’s men passed the test with surprising ease; now, nothing daunting remains in their way, and they could outright win the title as early as next Sunday against Crystal Palace.  

All Mourinho intended to ever do was defend: setting up with a blatantly defensive side without a recognized forward.  In the latter stages, center-back Kurt Zouma also came on as a defensively-minded replacement for Cesc Fabregas in central midfield.  Didier Drogba was also brought on for Oscar, providing a muscular alternative to slow play for Chelsea.  No matter the position, Chelsea players defended valiantly.

They did this so well that they actually had the better of the chances on the break.  In fact, while Arsenal never saw a clear sight of goal, Oscar got in behind Arsenal’s back line early on, only to see (or not, he was quickly clattered to the ground by goalkeeper David Ospina) his poked effort cleared off the line.  In the second half, Ramires tamely hit a golden chance straight at David Ospina.  

Chelsea retreated towards the end, further frustrating Arsenal.  Although a draw against the league leaders is normally a solid result for The Gunners, today it was obviously a big victory for Chelsea.

Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

Photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald on Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.