CHELSEA REMAINS UNBEATEN IN THE BPL..

Chelsea continued their
fine record against Arsenal
with a hard-fought
2-0 Premier League win
that was more than a little
ill-tempered.
Eden Hazard scored the opener from the penalty
spot in the first half after Laurent Koscielny fouled
him in the box, his cool spot kick sending
Wojciech Szczesny in the wrong direction.
Playing against the Gunners for the first time
since joining Chelsea this summer, Cesc Fabregas
provided a delightful assist for the second goal as,
with just over 10 minutes of normal time left, he
lifted the ball over Arsenal's defence for Diego
Costa to chase and finish with aplomb - the
striker's ninth goal in seven league games this
season.
Chelsea moved five points clear of nearest rivals
Manchester City at the top of the table - the only
downside of the game for them an injury to first-
choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was
forced off after suffering a nasty blow to the head
in an early collision with Alexis Sanchez.
The defeat saw Arsenal's unbeaten start to the
Premier League campaign brought to an end, as
Arsene Wenger's men fell nine points behind their
London neighbours after just seven matches.
Both sides made one change following their
exploits in the Champions League in midweek, as
Cesar Azpilicueta returned at left-back for Chelsea
in place of Filipe Luis and Jack Wilshere came in
for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the visitors.
After a 15-minute delay to kick-off, reportedly due
to a number of flares being let off outside the
ground, there was a moment of concern for
Chelsea in the 10th minute as Courtois collided
with Alexis. The Belgium international was able to
get to his feet and resume action but he was
clearly still shaken from the clash and had to be
withdrawn in the 24th minute as Petr Cech
entered the fray.
With little happening on the field, the opening
stages were also notable for an argument on the
touchline as Cahill's heavy challenge on Alexis
provoked an irate response from Wenger, who
pushed Jose Mourinho in the chest.
The Portuguese gestured for Wenger to return to
his technical area before Atkinson called both
managers over in an attempt to calm matters.
Finally, after 27 minutes, a moment of magic from
Hazard led to Chelsea breaking the deadlock. The
Belgian drifted beyond Santi Cazorla and
Chambers, before being upended by Koscielny's
trip inside the box and Hazard , who scored a
penalty in the 6-0 rout last season, calmly sent
Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way from the spot.
Wilshere's poor touch then allowed Cech to gather
as Arsenal went in search of an immediate
equaliser.
Chelsea almost doubled their lead shortly before
the hour when Hazard's driven cross deflected off
Mathieu Flamini and then the arm of Szczesny
before Arsenal felt that they should have had a
penalty when Wilshere's effort hit the arm of
Fabregas, although it was unclear whether or not
the incident had occurred inside the box.
Hazard ought to have netted his and Chelsea's
second when he fired off target from close range
14 minutes from time but, soon afterwards, Costa
made the game safe. He ran onto Fabregas's pass
and lobbed a deft finish over the advancing
Szczesny.
Danny Welbeck was perhaps lucky to only receive
a yellow card for a two-footed lunge on Fabregas
in stoppage time as Arsenal desperately chased the
game but Chelsea comfortably held on to secure
maximum points.