Gunners vs Chelsea: GUNNERS 1 up at the half!

[Karl]

Well! Well!

[Karl]

Re: Gunners vs Chelsea: GUNNERS 1 up at the half!

48: HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

1645:GOAL: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Skipper Gilberto Silva confidently dispatches the penalty sending Petr Cech the wrong way.
1644: PENALTY - RED CARD: Khalid Boularouz
Clumsy, awkward, ugly - call it what you like, 'The Cannibal' eats away at Julio 'the Beast' Baptista's heels and chops in down in the box. Referee Alan Wiley has the easiest decision of the game in sending off the defender.


1641: Arsenal working their way back into the game in the last 10 minutes. Chelsea look solid though, and in no mood to let Arsenal have a whiff in front of goal.

1639: Some quick and incisive passing fashions a chance for Emmanuel Adebayor who scuffs his effort leaving Petr Cech to gather comfortably. It was a fine chance for the Togo striker but he rushed his effort when under very little pressure.

1637: Emmanuel Eboue finally makes some headway on Wayne Bridge and fires in a fierce cross that takes a top edge off John Terry's boot and away to safety.

1635: A couple of half chances for Chelsea with Joe Cole at the centre of both of them. The first he drags a long-range drive well wide, and with the second he almost finds Frank Lampard with a teasing cross across the six-yard area.

1633: Jon Obi Mikel cynically chops down Cesc Fabregas and is promptly shown a yellow card. The tension is simmering.

1630: Better from Arsenal now as Gael Clichy is brought into the game in an attacking position. Nothing doing from it though as his run is well blocked off by Paulo Ferreira. The Arsenal fans feel their side are just edging back into it.

1627: I'm not one to bang on about referee's performances but this one's in danger of losing a grip on the game. Another couple of needless free-kicks are beginning to irk the players.

1625: Referee Alan Wiley isn't doing the game any favours either. Many of the free-kicks have been harsh and unwarranted, but Wiley seems to be enjoying himself.

1623: Plenty of fouls and stoppages still. Chelsea are trying to make inroads on the Arsenal back line but the breaks in play are stunting the Chelsea attacks.

1621: Arsenal's first passing move in a dangerous area ends with no end result after Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor had combined well down the right.

1619: It's so congested in the centre-spot at the moment. Arsenal don't have many options out wide with Alexander Hleb and Tomas Rosicky missing and everything is going down the middle. It's making for turgid play, particularly with Julio Baptista offering little in attack.

1616: Arsenal struggling to force their game on the visitors so far. There's little of the fluid passing and moving that has typified the Gunners' play this season. Credit Chelsea though, they're frustrating the hosts.

1614: Decent start for Chelsea. They've settled well and pinned Arsenal back into their own half. No clear chances yet but the Blues edging it so far.

1612: Interesting tussle beginning to take shape down Chelsea's right flank. Shaun Wright-Phillips is up against left-back Gael Clichy in the clash of the nippy youngsters. Round one to Clichy after two fine challenges on his opponent.

1610: Meaty challenge from Chelsea skipper John Terry. He hooked his leg up while sliding in on Emmanuel Adebayor and despite his protests, he gets a ticking off from the ref.

1608: Not much tension in the air from the Arsenal fans. They take it upon themselves to jeer and goad Frank Lampard and Joe Cole after a few clumsy passes.

1607: Both sides scrapping for some possession superiority in the early stages but neither side yet managing to get the ball down and knock it between them.

1605: An early scare for Michael Essien as he goes down in a heap after Gilberto Silva's crunching tackle. He runs it off but is was a nasty knock early doors.

1603: The last time these two sides met was in the ill-fated Carling Cup final where three red cards were dished out in a more than heated clash. Chelsea came out on top that day against Arsenal's youngsters and will be hoping for more of the same against a more senior line-up today.

1601: Joe Cole and Salomon get the ball rolling.

1558: The teams emerge from the tunnel and take their places on the magnificent Emirates Stadium turf. We're a couple minutes away from kick-off.

1551: There's little love lost between these two London rivals but Arsenal are in the unenviable position of handing their other rivals Manchester United the Premiership title should they win. Arsenal have nothing to play for but pride after securing a Champions League spot. Although, should they win this match, they'll be in the box seat to pip Liverpool for third place.

1545: Not a massive surprise that Ashley Cole is not in the starting line-up. He'll be spared a hostile reception by his former followers, but Didier Drogba's omission is puzzling. Mourinho says he's nursing an ankle injury but hopes to have him back fit for the FA Cup final.

1540: Nice touch from Jose. He's just been giving his thoughts on the game and here's what he had to say: "It's a beautiful stadium, beautiful pitch and I've just gone to congratulate Arsene on how wonderful this stadium is."

Mourinho joins his players out on the pitch for the pre-game warm-up as he prepares his side for the crucial clash to keep themselves in the title race.

1530: So this is it for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Either they win at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium or the reigning champions will have to hand their title to Manchester United.

The Gunners' new gaff has not been a happy hunting ground for visiting teams this season. They have lost just one of their 18 league games at home this season, to West Ham.

But Chelsea boast the second-best away record in the Premiership with 12 wins from 18 games.
Team news:
Former Arsenal man Ashley Cole does not return to face his former club - the Chelsea left-back has an ankle problem and is replaced by Wayne Bridge.


There is also no Didier Drogba for the champions, while boss Jose Mourinho names youngsters Ben Sahar and Scott Sinclair on the bench. Arsenal play midfielder Denilson in the starting line-up in place of Alexander
Hleb.