Chelsea Overcomes Arsenal
On Saturday the nineteenth of September, Arsenal made the trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, the current defenders of the Barclay’s Premier League title. It ended in a victory for the Blues, but the game is not without controversy.
The first goal came from a beautiful headed finish by the young, French defender Kurt Zouma off of an expertly-placed free kick by the Spaniard Cesc Fabregas. The second goal of the game came from an Eden Hazard strike which deflected off of the Arsenal defender Calum Chambers into the back of the net. It was the first London derby of the season between the two English giants, and once again Chelsea has shown their dominance over the tactically skilled Arsenal.
It was a well-played game for the Blues, but it got a bit heated when Diego Costa, the club’s powerful (and aggressive) striker, clashed with Gabriel Paulista, the Brazilian defender from the Arsenal side. It started after Costa slapped Laurent Koscielny in the face during an aggressive play, and Paulista came to confront Costa after Koscielny dramatically flopped to the ground after a clash between the striker and the defender.
After a few minutes of arguing and shoving between the two sides and the referee, Paulista was sent off with a red card due to a flick of his heel towards Costa, a lack of discipline from the young defender.
Costa remained on the field, but was charged by the FA (Football Association) only a few days after with violent conduct and has been banned for three matches. The game ended with two red cards issued towards Arsenal after the Spanish playmaker, Santi Cazorla received a second yellow card after a careless challenge on Cesc Fabregas.
It was a very well-played game by both sides, but Chelsea walked away with the full three points and a promotion from 17th place to 15th. Although Chelsea has had a nightmarish start to the season so far, this win shows hope for better things to come this season.