Monday 3 August 2015 09:32, UK
We look back on five talking points from Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the only goal of the game with a rasping finish in the first half at Wembley, while Ramires and Eden Hazard missed Chelsea's best chances.
The victory ended Arsene Wenger's winless run against his old foe Jose Mourinho, and ensured the Gunners retained the Community Shield after last year's win over Manchester City.
Wenger finally breaks Mourinho hoodoo
It took 14 attempts, but Wenger finally has his victory over Mourinho. The Arsenal boss would surely swap this win for three points in the Premier League, but it still lifts a considerable weight from his shoulders and adds to the sense that the Gunners may finally be ready to mount a genuine title challenge.
Indeed, while the Community Shield counts for little come the end of the season, the expressions on the faces of John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic at the final whistle spoke volumes of Chelsea’s disappointment. This was, after all, a competitive game in which both sides gave their all.
And although Wenger tends to downplay his personal record against Mourinho, his handshake snub after the final whistle shows relations between the pair are as frosty as ever.
The question for Arsenal, of course, is whether they can repeat the feat in the Premier League, but this robust performance bodes well. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher agrees. “No big deal for Chelsea,” he wrote on Twitter. “But psychologically for Arsenal to beat Chelsea can only help them going into the new season.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain shines
Could this be the year Oxlade-Chamberlain fulfils his true potential? He had to settle for a late cameo in Arsenal’s FA Cup final triumph over Aston Villa, but on their return to Wembley he was the decisive figure – and it augurs well for the season ahead.
The 21-year-old he is yet to make more than 25 Premier League appearances in a single campaign since joining Arsenal in 2011, but he was ever-present in Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures and played like a man with a point to prove against Chelsea.
His winning goal came when he collected Theo Walcott’s pass, ghosted past Cesar Azpilicueta and rifled an emphatic finish into the top corner. He was a thorn in Chelsea’s side right up until his late substitution, and as well as the goal, he completed two dribbles, played one key pass and attempted four crosses. His pace and directness made it a torrid afternoon for Azpilicueta, a normally reliable performer who was mercifully substituted after 68 minutes.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s winner was only the 13th goal of his Arsenal career, and remarkably it was the first he has scored away from the Emirates Stadium. The numbers are underwhelming, but his performance against Chelsea suggests he is finally ready to kick on.
Chelsea yet to click ahead of new season
Mourinho described pre-season results as “fake” after his side’s 4-2 defeat to New York Red Bulls last month, but Arsenal certainly seem to have gathered some momentum ahead of the Premier League kick-off.
The Gunners won all four of their pre-season fixtures prior to today and they looked sharper than Chelsea right from the off, when Walcott stole possession from Nemanja Matic to launch an Arsenal attack in the opening seconds.
Ramires and Hazard spurned scoring opportunities, but Chelsea were a long way from their fluent best – despite Mourinho’s assertion that they were the “better team”.
Arsenal succeeded in keeping them at arm’s length for large periods, and they also managed to blunt Hazard’s threat. The PFA Player of the Year completed more dribbles than any other player last season, but he didn’t manage a single one at Wembley.
It was almost a case of role reversal from previous meetings. Chelsea normally set up to frustrate Arsenal and nullify their attacking threat, but the Blues actually had 57 per cent of possession and also had a superior pass accuracy of 80 per cent to Arsenal’s 76.
"Arsenal left their philosophy in their dressing room,” commented Mourinho in his post-match press conference. But as the Gunners are all too aware, the statistics count for nothing when the scoreline goes against you.
Remy and Falcao struggle
Chelsea keenly felt the absence of Diego Costa, whose troublesome hamstrings left him watching on from the stands. Loic Remy started in his place, but the Frenchman was a peripheral figure, touching the ball just 10 times before he was withdrawn at half-time.
Radamel Falcao’s move the Chelsea raised eyebrows after his poor showing with Manchester United last season, but Mourinho is confident he can get the Colombian back to his best. On the basis of his showing at Wembley, however, the Chelsea boss has much work to do.
Falcao was at least more involved than Remy, touching the ball 27 times, but he didn’t register a single shot on target and never looked like troubling Arsenal’s defence.
The biggest issue for Falcao seems to be a lack of confidence, and Costa’s recent injury history suggests Chelsea might need him to rediscover some self-belief sooner rather than later.
Cech shows his worth
How appropriate that Petr Cech’s Arsenal career should start with a clean sheet. The 33-year-old is only two short of David James’ record of 170 Premier League shut-outs, and he showed his experience with a typically authoritative display at Wembley.
The Czech veteran was cheered by both sets of fans after his amicable split from Chelsea this summer, and the television cameras showed him shaking hands with every one of his former team-mates after the final whistle. That touch of class mirrored his performance.
Cech’s stand-out moment came when he tipped Oscar’s free kick around the post in the second half. That was one of only two shots on target the Czech Republic veteran had to deal with, but he also commanded his area well and claimed crosses with little trouble.
Wenger was pleased with his new signing. “Maybe he had an influence on the Chelsea players because they thought to score against him they needed the perfect goal,” he said.
