Chelsea moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in an eventful London derby at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The hosts took the lead shortly before the half-hour mark after Eden Hazard had danced his way into the box and been felled by Laurent Koscielny. The Belgian took the resulting spot kick himself, sending the keeper the wrong way to break the deadlock.
The points were then wrapped up in the 78th minute as Diego Costa latched on to Cesc Fabregas's fine pass to lift the ball over Wojciech Szczesny for his ninth Premier League goal in six games.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the ill-tempered clash in West London.
Match statistics
CHELSEA
Shots: 5
On target: 3
Possession: 47%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 14
ARSENAL
Shots: 10
On target: 0
Possession: 53%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Yes. This match was actually very even in terms of general play for long periods. However, two moments of class proved to be the difference as Chelsea's key attacking players came up with the goods. First Hazard won the penalty with a dazzling run before Fabregas and Costa linked up for a very good second.
Arsenal had plenty of the ball, as the stats above show, but they could not do anything productive with it. The most damning statistic from those above is that they did not have a single shot on target, and that was simply down to the fact that they had no answer to Chelsea's sturdy and stubborn defence.
Chelsea by no means blew Arsenal away as they did at Stamford Bridge last season, but they always seemed to have an element of control over the match and, in truth, if the game had gone on for another few hours it was still hard to see the Gunners finding a breakthrough.
Chelsea's performance
If you were to sum a Jose Mourinho side up in one performance, this would probably be it. It was a classic Mourinho display, with Chelsea impenetrable at the back and providing a couple of moments of magic to clinch all three points. They gave Arsenal absolutely nothing in the final third and never looked in danger of conceding.
They were not as potent an attacking force as they have been at times this season, with few chances to speak of aside from their two goals. However, they were clinical when they did get an opening and, coupled with such a solid defensive display, that was a winning combination.
It was a professional, disciplined and efficient performance from the hosts, who always looked to be in control of proceedings despite having less of the ball. Mourinho remains unbeaten against Arsene Wenger and, in truth, the Chelsea boss did a job on his opposite number today. It is hard to see where Chelsea's first defeat will come from right now.
Arsenal's performance
In terms of general play, Wenger will not be too upset with how his team performed this afternoon. They kept the ball well and had Chelsea penned back into their own half for long periods on a couple of occasions.
However, the Gunners were sorely lacking an extra piece of quality in the final third. Their attackers were outplayed by the Chelsea defence from start to finish, so much so that they failed to register a single shot on target. They did have a couple of openings, but they were very quickly shut down by the Blues.
At times, the game descended into a bit of a battle, and that is something that suits Chelsea more than it does Arsenal. The Gunners matched their opponents for the vast majority of the game but were undone by two moments of brilliance, while they were unable to come up with any sparks of their own.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Eden Hazard: It was a magnificent team display by Chelsea today, but one man stood out above the rest. Hazard was a constant threat to the Arsenal defence, always running at his man and usually finding a way past him. His play to win the penalty was electric, and the spot kick itself was as cool as you like. It was a very impressive performance from the Belgian winger.
Biggest gaffe
Costa missed a sitter late on, but his blushes were spared by the linesman's flag so this dubious honour goes to Koscielny. The Frenchman's challenge on Hazard to concede the penalty was clumsy and, although credit must go to the Chelsea man for his quick feet, Koscielny was rooted to the spot and should have been on his toes to deal with the quick change in direction.
Referee performance
This was not an easy match for Martin Atkinson to officiate, but it was still a disappointing performance from the ref. Gary Cahill, Koscielny and Danny Welbeck all should have been sent off for separate challenges, while there were a number of other occasions when he could have gone to his book but opted not to.
It was a lenient display from the ref, but at times he gave the players a bit too much slack. The penalty call was the clearest one you will see this season, while he also didn't give one against Fabregas in the second half that could have gone either way. There was also drama to deal with on the sidelines as Wenger and Mourinho clashed during the first half.
What next?
Chelsea: Chelsea are back in action on Saturday, October 18 as they travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace.
Arsenal: The Gunners, meanwhile, return to the Emirates to host Hull City after the international break.
Barney Corkhill
