Arsenal and Chelsea played out a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium this evening to leave both sides still trailing Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Frank Lampard came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half when he got on the end of Eden Hazard's pass to volley an effort off the underside of the bar.
Olivier Giroud came close twice late on before Bacary Sagna saw his header cleared off the line in second-half stoppage time to ensure that the spoils were shared.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how both sides fared in a highly-charged London derby.
Match statistics:
Arsenal:
Shots 7
On target 2
Possession 61%
Corners 8
Fouls 7
Chelsea:
Shots 13
On target 4
Possession 39%
Corners 6
Fouls 12
Was the result fair?
Yes. Neither side did enough to win this game tonight and, in truth, neither side really did enough to score either. Both teams had a couple of decent chances but, on the whole, the defences were the winners this evening in a frustrating game to watch for both sets of supporters. Arsenal struggled to break down a Chelsea side set up to defend their clean sheet, while the Blues always looked to be happy with a point from this evening's game. All in all, 0-0 was the fairest result possible.
Arsenal's performance
Questions will continue to be asked about Arsenal's ability to win against the big boys this season following tonight's performance. Jose Mourinho did his usual trick of frustrating the Arsenal attack and it worked a treat as the Gunners didn't have their first shot on target until the 85th minute. They couldn't break down Chelsea's defence and looked a far cry from the exciting attacking side that had swept all comers earlier this season. A draw is by no means a poor result for them, but it could have been better had Olivier Giroud been a bit more clinical in the closing stages. The French striker missed two glorious chances late on that would have handed his side the win.
Chelsea's performance
It was not pretty to watch, but Chelsea carried out their gameplan almost to perfection this evening. They stifled Arsenal's attacking talent and, particularly in the first half, really threatened on the counter attack. Mourinho set his stall out early and challenged the Gunners to break his side down, which they simply weren't able to do. You got the feeling from the very start of the game that Chelsea would be happy with a draw, and they achieved that so Mourinho will be pleased with their display today. From a neutral point of view, however, Chelsea will win no plaudits for that performance.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cesar Azpilicueta: It was always going to be a defender winning this award following today's match. Azpilicueta gets it for contributing to Chelsea's dominance of the Arsenal attack for the vast majority of the game. We know how dangerous the likes of Theo Walcott can be, but Azpilicueta, playing out of position at left-back, kept the winger quiet all night. He also cleared Sagna's header off the line in the dying stages to preserve a point for his side, which didn't harm his case at all.
Biggest gaffe
This one goes to Giroud for the first of his two misses late in the second half. The striker was released by a fine chipped through ball from Aaron Ramsey but, with only the keeper to beat, proceeded to slice his effort wide of the near post. It was the type of chance that he would have scored with his eyes closed earlier in the season, but he looked to be lacking confidence when he approached the shot on this occasion.
Referee performance
Mike Dean was certainly in the spotlight this evening after a number of controversial issues in a feisty game. The biggest call came when he turned down a penalty claim from Theo Walcott after he had been clipped in the box by Willian. The England winger did appear to play for the penalty, but it was a foul from Willian so a spot kick should have been awarded. Dean also refused to send John Obi Mikel and Ramires off for late, high tackles, although those decisions could have gone either way.
What next?
Arsenal: Next up for the Gunners is a trip to Upton Park to take on West Ham United on Boxing Day.
Chelsea: Chelsea, meanwhile, host Swansea City on Boxing Day before another big match against Liverpool next Saturday.
Barney Corkhill
