Chelsea’s player of the year was partly to blame for Arsenal’s first goal on a day when the champions looked out of sortsCarelessness is not a word that has been applied to Chelsea very often this season, yet the champions began this final a little too laid back for their own good. They were behind after five minutes as a result, and player of the season N’Golo Kanté was partly to blame. Not for the attempted clearance that struck Alexis Sánchez and allowed the Chilean to run on and beat Thibaut Courtois, but for coughing up possession to allow Arsenal to threaten in the first place. Courtois had just made a routine catch from Mesut Özil’s early corner and bowled...
An approach developed by Northumberland eccentric Alan Brown and made notable by Arrigo Sacchi is partly behind the title returning to Stamford BridgeThe back three clearly made a huge difference, as did Antonio Conte’s man-management, but when Eden Hazard was asked in March what the biggest difference was between Chelsea this season and Chelsea last, he spoke of “automisation”. Related: Antonio Conte set to sign £38m Chelsea extension and stay until 2021 Related: Arsenal v Chelsea: match preview Continue reading...
If Wembley really is the end for Diego Costa after 57 goals, almost 400 fouls and a relentless concatenation of outrage, he could not have chosen better opponentsArsenal fans riled by the Groundhog Day repetitions of the past few years have at least been treated to something more immediate before Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea. Faced with the prospect of another tangle with Diego Costa, Arsenal’s centre-backs have been cutting straight to the chase. Shkodran Mustafi is concussed. Laurent Koscielny has been sent off and banned. Gabriel got in there early with his injured knee. Entering the Diego Zone? They are way ahead of you.Arsenal have generally seen the best and the worst of Costa during three seasons of...
Ray Parlour’s memorable goal earned FA Cup final glory 15 years ago yet served as a prelude to an era of Roman Abramovich-backed Chelsea dominanceWinding the clock back to 2002, the last time Arsenal and Chelsea contested the FA Cup final, one of the telling moments took place at the end. Tony Adams, in what would be his final appearance before retirement, sought out a young John Terry, who had come on as a substitute, to offer some words of consolation. He recalls the exchange in his new book, Sober, as “saying that his time would come but this was ours”. He was right on both counts.It is only with hindsight that the dividing line around that time in terms...
The 2016-17 season still had its drama – moments of brilliance and booming narrative arcs to be resolved – but it was less title race than well-ordered title jogFarewell, then, to the year that almost was. This was a Premier League season that sparked with a controlled excitement, never quite caught fire but still dished up another digestible slice of high-end product.Things kept on almost happening. Leicester City almost completed the most dramatic title-plus-relegation act of all time. But then it was all sort of OK. Marco Silva almost pulled off a minor managerial miracle – but somehow not quite. To great fanfare Tottenham Hotspur pulled to within one victory of being quite close to creeping up on Chelsea’s shoulder at...