- Date:2006-12-10
- Kick-off:16:00
- Venue:Stamford Bridge
- Attendance:41917
- Referee:Wiley, A
Live Commentary
90mins
It's all over at Stamford Bridge and what a crazy last 12 minutes but Chelsea will wonder how they failed to win and they now sit eight points behind Manchester United with just one game in hand. Arsenal are in sixth spot.
90mins
Chelsea will wonder how they did not win this game as Essien somehow crashes a shot off the underside of the bar from a few yards out.
88mins
Chelsea are pushing for the winner but Arsenal aren't just sitting back.
86mins
Ljungberg gets to the byline and pulls a great ball back for Hleb coming in at the far post, but he blasts over the top from inside the area.
85mins
CHELSEA 1-1 ARSENAL (ESSIEN 85) CHELSEA 1-1 ARSENAL (ESSIEN): MICHAEL ESSIEN hammers an unstoppable shot from 35 yards which bends just inside Lehmann's right-hand post.
83mins
Fredrik Ljungberg replaces Van Persie for Arsenal.
82mins
Robben crosses from the left and Drogba is allowed a clean header but the ball flies past the angle.
80mins
Makelele plays the ball into Drogba but Lehmann races out to put the striker off and the ball goes the wrong side of the post.
78mins
CHELSEA 0-1 ARSENAL (FLAMINI 78) A fantastic bit of build up play by Arsenal sees the ball played into MATHIEU FLAMINI inside the area and he fires the ball into the bottom corner of Hilario's net.
76mins
Van Persie almost gets behind the Blues defence but he loses sight of the ball and Essien helps it back to Hilario.
75mins
Arsenal win a free kick from distance and Fabregas tries his luck but the shot is wide of the post.
73mins
Robben is is played in wide on the left side of the area and his effort fizzes across the face of goal and just wide of the far post.
71mins
Robben goes past Djourou and his effort is palmed across the goal by Lehmann but Drogba cannot get his foot to the loose ball and Arsenal clear.
70mins
It's a decent stint for Chelsea but the move breaks down when Gilberto Silva is shoved over by Robben down on the right-hand byline.
68mins
Jose Mourinho will be looking for the two new additions to try and add some cutting edge to his side as they have struggled in this half.
66mins
A double move for Chelsea with Shevchenko and Geremi going off and Arjen Robben and Shaun Wright-Phillips replacing them.
65mins
Drogba is booked for his shove on the Arsenal keeper.
65mins
Lehmann is booked for his part in the melee
63mins
Drogba goes down in the area theatrically and Lehmann pushes him to the ground. Drogba gets up and barges into the German keeper.
61mins
Adebayor goes on a charging run towards the Chelsea goal and plays in Fabregas but his shot is saved by Hilario. Arsenal come back again and Flamini's effort is well wide.
59mins
Lampard takes a free kick a good 30 yards from goal but his effort is well off target.
58mins
Ashley Cole commits another foul and he will have to be careful not to get a red card the way he is charging around.
56mins
After much debate Geremi finally takes the free kick 25 yards out and almost central to goal but it hits the wall and Arsenal clear.
55mins
Mathieu Flamini is booked for Arsenal for a lunging foul on Lampard.
54mins
It's another corner for Arsenal as Fabregas plays it in and Hilario punches the ball but it's another corner for the visitors which is cleared.
53mins
It has been a scrappy start to the second half with both sides guilty of giving the ball away on too many occasions for their own liking.
51mins
It's Arsenal's turn to win a dangerous free kick out on the right which Perside plays in but Chelsea clear their lines without any real danger.
50mins
Chelsea win a free kick in a good position for a set-piece. Lampard takes the kick but Drogba cannot keep his header from going over the top when Essien was better placed behind him.
48mins
Adebayor skips past Terry out wide on the right and his cross into the middle is headed over the top under pressure by Persie.
47mins
Arsenal break well after defending a long throw into their own area and Emmanuel Adebayor gets a shot in for the Gunners but it is weak and wide of Hilario's post.
46mins
We are up and running at Stamford Bridge in the second 45 minutes with Chelsea looking to try and turn chances into goals in a bid to keep the pressure on Manchester United while Arsenal must try and start creating more chances themselves.
45mins
It's half time and Chelsea will feel they should be in front after Lampard hit the post and Essien had an effort cleared off the line, while Arsenal have enjoyed some good possession but lack a cutting edge.
43mins
Ashley Cole knocks the ball right across the Arsenal area but SEnderos manages to hack it clear as Chelsea press again.
41mins
It has been fairly even possession wise but Chelsea will feel they should be in front having had the best chances to score.
40mins
Drogba is fuming at an offside flag against him as he tries to lay the ball off to Shevchenko who would have been through on goal.
38mins
It's end to end at the moment as Chelsea go and win a corner at the other end. Lampard plays it in and Lehmann fumbles as the ball comes out to Essien his shot is hacked off the line by Fabregas.
36mins
Eboue gets past Ashley Cole and lashes a cross low into the area which John Terry knocks behind for a corner. Van Persie plays it in and Hilario punches it clear.
34mins
Geremi plays the ball into the Arsenal area and Drogba's shot is blocked but Essien fires over the top when he should have done a lot better.
32mins
Eboue gets a foot in on Drogba to concede a corner. Lampard whips the ball in but it eludes everyone and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
30mins
Arsenal are enjoying a good spell of pressure as Van Persie makes room for himself on the edge of the area but his shot is easy for Hilario.
27mins
The game is in danger of getting niggly as Shevchenko is unhappy at not winning a corner when challenged by Emmanuel Eboue but the referee was right to award a goal kick.
25mins
Cesc Fabregas commits a foul on Drogba and a free kick is awarded but Chelsea feel the Spaniard should also go into the book.
24mins
Ashely Cole hacks down Hleb and is booked against his former club.
22mins
Arsenal go up the other end and Van Persie hits an effort which is just wide of Hilario's far post.
22mins
Chelsea break as Andriy Shevchenko makes a mess of an attempted dummy and when Michael Essien eventually picks the ball up his cross is blocked by Alexander Hleb.
20mins
Chelsea have turned this game around in the last 10 minutes and are dominating possession with Frank Lampard wondering how he did not put them ahead.
18mins
Didier Drogba knocks the ball down to Frank Lampard in the area and his effort bounces back off the post and his second effort is easy for Jens Lehmann.
17mins
Michael Ballack lets rip with a fierce effort which just flashes wide of the diving Jens Lehmann's far post.
15mins
Andriy Shevchenko makes room for himself on the edge of the Arsenal area but his curling shot is comfortably gathered by Jens Lehmann.
13mins
Frank Lampard whips in the free kick but Arsenal manage to clear their lines in Chelsea's first real piece of pressure.
12mins
Arsenal have enjoyed the majority of possession but Chelsea break up field and Philippe Senderos shoves Didier Drogba over to concede a dangerous free-kick.
10mins
Robin Van Persie takes the resulting free-kick but it smacks back off the Chelsea wall.
9mins
Arsenal have knocked the ball around well between them in the opening stages as they win a good free-kick due to a Ricardo Carvalho handball.
7mins
Good flowing play by Arsenal as Chelsea struggle to clear their lines and Robin Van Persie tries to knock the ball across the face of goal but it hits the side netting.
5mins
Didier Drogba tries to lay the ball off to Michael Ballack on the edge of the Arsenal area but the offside flag is up against the Ivory Coast international.
3mins
It has been a hectic opening few minutes with neither side really forcing any goal mouth action to speak of.
1mins
Gael Clichy goes on a surging run down the left wing but his attempted pass runs through to Henrique Hilario.
0mins
This huge game is underway at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea need to win to close Manchester United's lead at the top to just six points while Arsenal cannot afford to lose if they are to have any say in the title race.
0mins
Arsenals starting XI: Lehmann, Eboue, Djourou, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Silva, Flamini, Van Persie, Adebayor.
0mins
Philippe Senderos starts in the Arsenal defence in place of the suspended Kolo Toure, while Robin van Persie is preferred to Fredrik Ljungberg.
0mins
Chelseas starting XI: Hilario, Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Essien, Ballack, Makelele, Lampard, Shevchenko, Drogba.
0mins
Skipper John Terry is back from suspension, while Claude Makelele and Geremi are the other changes from the team who beat Levski Sofia in the midweek Champions League encounter.
0mins
Ashley Cole will face his former team-mates for the first time since his acrimonious summer move as he is restored to the Chelsea line-up for Sundays clash with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
Match Preview
Second meets third at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea and Arsenal resume Premiership rivalries on Sunday afternoon.
In recent years it is the Blues who have held the upper hand in these eagerly-anticipated meetings as Jose Mourinho's side defeated the Gunners three times in all competitions last year.
However, perhaps the greatest indication of the difference between the two Premiership giants this season can be highlighted by their recent visits to Bolton Wanderers.
Because while Arsenal failed to get to grips with the muscular nature of Sam Allardyce's battlers and slipped to a 3-1 defeat last month, Chelsea ground out a 1-0 victory at the Reebok Stadium courtesy of Michael Ballack's first-half header on their last Premiership outing.
However, on the back of a weekend off seven days ago, the Blues slipped six points behind Manchester United - a gap that could rise to nine should United defeat Manchester City on Saturday - so a victory over Arsenal is vital as the champions look to keep up the pressure at the top of the table.
John Terry will return after missing the Champions League clash with Levski Sofia through suspension with Khalid Boulahrouz set to make way.
Ashley Cole and Claude Makelele are also expected to return after being rested in midweek but goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is a major doubt with a leg muscle injury.
Despite an inconsistent opening third of the season, Arsenal finally broke into the top three following last weekend's 3-0 derby victory over Tottenham.
Thierry Henry was confined to a cheerleading role due to a neck injury and the talismanic striker watched on as stand-in skipper Gilberto Silva (two) and Emmanuel Adebayor picked up the slack.
The mystery neck injury to Henry will keep the Frenchman sidelined for the foreseeable future so Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will once again have to place his faith in Adebayor and Robin van Persie.
Midfielder Tomas Rosicky misses out because of a groin injury sustained last weekend, while Philippe Senderos will be absent through suspension.
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Match Report
A sensational strike by Michael Essien spared Chelsea's blushes as they fought back in titanic fashion to draw 1-1 with rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
Already nine points adrift of Manchester United, Chelsea desperately needed to win but it was Arsenal, in the unlikely form of Mathieu Flamini who hit the first goal 11 minutes from time before Essien's remarkable 25-yard right-footed piledriver levelled the scores and the match.
Arsenal's first chance came via a Robin van Persie free-kick on eight minutes but the Dutchman's effort went straight into the Chelsea wall.
Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko hit a fine strike on the Arsenal goal on 15 minutes. Unluckily for the Ukraine hitman, Jens Lehmann was well positioned to block the effort.
Two minutes later and it was the turn of Germany captain Michael Ballack to let fly from 25 yards. This time the right-footed strike beat Lehmann but also the goal.
Frank Lampard could have put the champions ahead 30 seconds later but his left-footed half-volley from just inside the Arsenal area bounced back from Lehmann's left upright.
Ashley Cole was booked by Alan Wiley for a late challenge on Aleksandr Hleb which caused the Chelsea bench to rise up in unison with Jose Mourinho crossing on to the pitch to protest.
A long-range effort, again from van Persie, failed to trouble Henrique Hilario in the Chelsea goal on 25 minutes.
A fine Chelsea break on 32 minutes involving Geremi wide on the right saw his drive into the area touched on by Didier Drogba into the path of the on-rushing Essien. But the midfielder toe-poked the ball, under pressure from Philippe Senderos, over the bar.
Van Persie whipped over a fine cross on 39 minutes but Flamini saw his header go over the Chelsea bar.
Arsenal had a stroke of luck on 38 minutes when Lehmann made a hash of a corner and the ball fell to Essien whose left-foot drive was kicked off the right post by Cesc Fabregas.
Emmanuel Adebayor had the first chance of the second half but his snatched shot drifted wide of the Chelsea goal.
Van Persie saw his header from the impressive cross from Adebayor go over the bar on 49 minutes.
A booking for Flamini for a foul on Frank Lampard on 55 minutes left Chelsea with a free-kick from 25 yards. But it was a limp effort by Geremi and the ball hit the Arsenal wall.
A fine 40-yard run by Adebayor resulted in a van Persie shot on target but straight into Hilario's midriff.
Mourinho decided on a change of tactics by bringing on wingers Shaun Wright-Phillips for Geremi and Arjen Robben for Shevchenko, but not before pantomime season hit full flow on 53 minutes.
First Drogba was livid that he was not given a penalty from a heavy challenge by Senderos. Lehmann then pushed Drogba who fell to the ground theatrically. Drogba then shoved Lehmann and he went down like a sack of potatoes. Wiley eventually decided to book both of them.
Robben was soon in the action and on 72 minutes he took full advantage of a poor clearance by Senderos but Lehmann blocked well.
Seconds later and another Robben shot flashed across the Arsenal goal but missed the target.
The north Londoners took the lead following sustained Chelsea pressure with 11 minutes remaining.
Excellent approach play saw Hleb square the ball across the edge of the Chelsea area and up stepped Flamini to ram home a fierce drive into the corner despite Hilario getting a touch to it.
Drogba had a fine chance to equalise three minutes later when a Claude Makelele through pass was chested on by the Ivory Coast man who slid the ball past Lehmann but also just past the Arsenal post.
But the champions produced a moment of magic and a counter-attack saw the ball move across the pitch with Lampard setting up Essien, who 25 yards out, sent an unstoppable right footer into the top left-hand corner of the net with Lehmann helpless to get anywhere near it.
Essien could have notched up the winner in stoppage time but his right-footed shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced away to safety.
Lampard then hit the post in the dying seconds as Arsenal hung on for a point.
Chelsea Team
Arsenal Team
Chelsea | Arsenal |
Corners
| 4 | 5 |
Fouls
| 16 | 16 |
Goal attempts
| 20 | 11 |
Shots off target
| 10 | 7 |
Offsides
| 4 | 4 |



90mins
Lehmann fumbles a shot from Robben and the rebound falls to Lampard. He looks certain to score but hits the inside of the post after a good block from Flamini.