Arsenal's 3-0 win against Chelsea was their first over their
London rivals since 2011 and their biggest victory against
them since April 1997 - a scoreline reflected in the
performance of both teams.
Manager Arsene Wenger has suffered enough at Chelsea's
hands, particularly under Mourinho, to be allowed to celebrate
this convincing triumph, which he called: "One of the best
performances in recent years. We played with style, with pace,
with movement - and that is the sort of football we want to
play."
The Gunners were simply irresistible, with Alexis Sanchez and
Mesut Ozil leading the charge with world-class displays, both
on the target and tormenting Chelsea for 90 minutes.
Arsenal were magnificent. The question now is will they be
magnificent at Burnley next week, then at home to Swansea
City after the international break?
On this form they can beat anyone. In previous seasons they
have also proved they can lose to anyone - hence no Premier
League since "The Invincibles" season of 2003/04 when they
won the title going unbeaten over 38 games.
Wenger has many admirers as he reaches 20 years at Arsenal
who would delight in seeing him achieve title-winning status
again. Can he unlock the key to consistency that would at
least put Arsenal among the main contenders?
For now, though, this enduring purist can revel in a
performance from his Arsenal side that was a thing of football
beauty.
As for Chelsea, this was an abominable effort, even worse
than in defeat by Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
Manager Antonio Conte must rebuild a team that looks old,
jaded and in desperate need of renewal. Branislav Ivanovic
and Nemanja Matic look like players in the closing stages of
their Chelsea career while England defender Gary Cahill is
increasingly vulnerable and accident prone.
David Luiz, predictably, has brought a sense of chaos to
Chelsea's defending following the decision to re-sign him in a
£32m deal from Paris St. Germain while Cesc Fabregas and
Eden Hazard were so poor they could have no complaints at
being substituted.
Conte will need time to sort Chelsea out. He will hope
demanding owner Roman Abramovich understands the scale
of the problems.
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