在18日的英超联赛中，阿森纳队在海布里球场迎战联赛卫冕冠军切尔西队，结果客队的两粒进球让“枪手”们颜面尽失，吞下了本赛季首次主场失利的苦果。

    据《卫报》12月19日报道，目前阿森纳队在英超积分榜上16战积26分，落后切尔西队整整20分。对于阿森纳队来说，这样的处境在几年前是根本不可想象的。阿森纳队主教练温格认为，“在上两场客场（分别对阵博尔顿和纽卡斯尔队）比赛中，我们输在了体力上，我们需要大力改进”“现在看起来好像全英格兰的球队都知道用‘肉搏’的方法来对付阿森纳队”。

    从赛后得到技术统计数字上看，在本场比赛中，切尔西队无论是在射中和射偏球门次数方面都要优于阿森纳队。而在犯规次数、越位以及受到黄牌警告方面，他们也“领先”于对手。这表明，切尔西球员在比赛中并不是“循规蹈矩”，而是随时准备采用激烈动作与对手冲撞，同时还做好了被对手犯规的准备，显示了必胜的决心。在比赛第21分钟时，阿森纳球员坎贝尔对切尔西前锋德罗巴的“粗野”犯规，是本场比赛“枪手”们极少表现出来的“血性”的一面。虽然坎贝尔勇猛的表现一度鼓舞队友范佩尔西率先打入对手一球，但边裁举旗示意越位在先。

    “我当然希望比赛能以我们1：0领先这样的局面继续发展下去”，谈到这粒被裁判取消的进球时温格表示，“第一粒进球可以对比赛的进程产生巨大的影响。我们认为这是一个好球，裁判做出了一个非常不好的判罚。不过，同切尔西队相比，我们在经验和体能上确实都要逊色一些。他们的信心也比我们的球员要足，这也使对方的实力变得更强”。

    谈到球队接下来的任务，温格表示：“目前我们远远落后于切尔西队，因此已经谈不上向联赛冠军宝座发起挑战了。但我们还必须为进入下赛季欧洲冠军联赛而战，这意味着我们必须尽可能地在积分上拉近和‘领头羊’之间的差距，不管这个球队是切尔西还是别的什么球队。”

    Arsène Wenger is going to need all his accumulated wisdom and motivational powers if this season is not to descend into the kind of mediocrity that seemed unthinkable only a couple of years ago, when his invincibles were flying so high. Yesterday's defeat at the hands of the champions, their first at home this season, contained little to suggest that Arsenal's short-term future offers much comfort for their valedictory season at Highbury.

    "I would say that we have been beaten physically in our last couple of away games and I don't deny that we need to improve that," Wenger wrote in his programme notes, referring to the visits to Bolton and Newcastle, where failure ended their already fading interest in this season's championship race. "It looks like it has gone around England that when you play us you need to make it a physical battle."

    Yesterday Chelsea provided a further demonstration of how effectively Wenger's players can be undermined, on this occasion by opponents steeped in ringcraft and with a level of physical fitness probably surpassing anything to be found elsewhere in European football. With Joe Cole and Didier Drogba contesting possession deep inside the home half, Arsenal endured a torrid opening 20 minutes. And just when they had regrouped and were imposing some sort of rhythm on the game, Arjen Robben scored the breakaway goal that reawakened their insecurities. Chelsea's second, scored by Joe Cole 18 minutes from time, merely provided confirmation of the tide that engulfed the home team, who now find themselves treading water in the middle of the table.

    Chelsea had more of everything. In statistical terms, they scored higher in terms of shots on target, shots off target, fouls committed, offsides and yellow cards. They were unscrupulous when it mattered, they were ready to give and receive pain, and their will was unshakeable. Arsenal, by contrast, looked in need of leadership on the pitch. Sol Campbell's teeth-rattling 21st-minute tackle on Didier Drogba was a rare example of the sort of act that stiffens a whole team's morale, but its effect was immediately negated when the linesman's flag cancelled Robin van Persie's strike.

    "We are too far behind Chelsea now to consider that we will challenge them for the championship," Wenger conceded. "But we have to be in the Champions League next year, which means we have to finish as close as possible to the top team, whether it's Chelsea or somebody else. We have to show our strength and come back."