Chelsea defeats Arsenal 1-2 with goals from Torres and Mata

Last update 16 November, 2012 by Julio Muñoz

The Spaniards Fernando Torres and Juan Mata led Chelsea today and scored the two goals that knocked down Arsenal away from home (1-2) and that settle the “blues” at the top of the English league table.

Ivorian Yao Gervinho's goal on the stroke of half-time was not enough for the “gunners”, those whose fortune failed in the last part of the match, counteract the verticality and effectiveness with which Chelsea punished them this afternoon.

Just after midday in London, Arsenal jumped into the Emirates stadium, northwest of the British capital, willing to dominate a match that should confirm the good start of Arsène Wenger's team in this campaign.

At twenty minutes, however, The association between Mata and Torres was once again lethal, and Roberto Di Matteo's men acquired an advantage that would determine the rest of the match.

The ex-Valencia player drew a cross from a set piece from the three-quarter zone that Brazilian David Luiz could not finish off with a header.. The ball went past the defender “blue” and continued his way towards the far post, where Torres was waiting, who took advantage of a mistake by the French central defender Laurent Koscielny, back to the ball, to put his foot and put the leather into the goal of the Italian Vito Mannone.

The goal allowed the “blues” face the rest of the duel without needing to risk the attack and left Wenger with a worried face on the bench “gunner”.

Torres was also able to extend the lead just two minutes later, when standing alone in the Mannone area, although he “Boy” He ended up getting tangled with the ball and wasted one of the best options of the first half..

With the match broken and the game alternating both fields almost without transition, Chelsea once again demonstrated their ability to come out with speed on the counterattack, usually guided by Mata, capable of advancing vertically with the ball controlled and putting the local defense in trouble on his own.

Arsenal, meanwhile, with a Mikel Arteta omnipresent in the creation zone, a Lukas Podolski less visible than on other occasions and a Santi Cazorla deactivated at times in the center of the field of Di Matteo's men, insisted on a slower collective game, with closer lines and a block attack.

Wenger's strategy paid off just five minutes before the break, when the Englishman Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took advantage of a space on the right wing that he took advantage of to trace a low cross towards Gervinho.

The Ivorian was waiting in the center of the area, with his back to Petr Cech's goal, where he stopped the ball with his foot to immediately turn and shoot a shot that hit the crossbar without giving the Czech goalkeeper any chance to react..

The much, shortly before half time, It was a psychological blow that was favorable to the locals, who came out of the showers convinced of their chances and pressed Chelsea against their own field during the first minutes of the second half.

Los de Di Matteo, however, They knew how to strike again at the moment when their rivals were displaying their best game.

Once again Mata took on the responsibility of taking a free kick from outside the area., and once again drew a center similar to that of the first goal of the “blues”.

On this occasion the ball did not find any player, Instead, he flew over the cloud of footballers who were looking at him in the area and slipped close to Mannone's left post after lightly brushing against Koscielny's leg., which was his second mistake of the afternoon.

Arsenal did not give up and, with the visitors definitely on the defensive to preserve a result that they would have signed a priori at the Emirates, was able to generate several scoring chances in the last stretch of the match .

The sticks, However, Cech and bad fortune prevented the “gunners” They will balance the marking in one of the various options that they created in the rival area.