How Antonio Conte Ended Arsenal's Title Charge

Yesterday Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge to take on league leaders Chelsea, who sat nine points ahead of the pack. With Arsenal receiving a surprise defeat at home to Watford and Chelsea claiming a hard-earned point at Anfield in midweek, it was vital Arsenal were able to react in an attempt to bounce back quickly in their toughest test of the season.

How each side shaped up

From the off Conte was able to field a fully strengthened side, with Pedro returning to the eleven having only featured as a substitute against Liverpool, whilst Arsenal were without the likes of Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey who were absent through suspension and injury respectively, and those midfielders certainly appeared to be the missing link as Chelsea saw off their London rivals to avenge their 3-0 loss in the reverse fixture back in September and also gain a 12-point lead at the top, at least until Spurs kicked off in the evening.

Although it was expected that Wenger would be fielding Oxlade-Chamberlain in a double pivot with French counter-part Francis Coquelin, to some peoples’ surprise, Arsène chose for the more sturdy option of a 4-3-3, as opposed to their normal 4-2-3-1, a change which fans had been crying out for in recent times. From the start Özil assumed the wide left role with Iwobi and Chamberlain playing as interiors slightly further ahead of Coquelin. It seemed to be an intelligent move by the boss, allowing for the reds to pack out the midfield in an attempt to make it tougher for the home side to break them down whilst also making it more difficult for Chelsea to play out from the back; forcing them long.