Matic: Chelsea would have beaten Arsenal, Mertesacker red or not

The win helped Chelsea remain unbeaten since Guus Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho and has not lost in its last nine league meetings with Arsenal. To lose the game the way we did is really frustrating today and hard to accept. Former Tottenham star and current pundit, Jermaine Jenas, certainly thinks it was the wrong call, as he explains in a BBC report.

“The referee made a decision and we have to get on with it”, Wenger said. I’m sure you’ve all seen it again and know much more about that situation than I do. “Even when there is nothing a stake, I want to see ambition”. The disappointment was also writ large on Giroud’s face.

The huge roar swirled around the Emirates Stadium when Alexis Sanchez came off the bench in the second half. “I made the decision and for me it was quite normal”, Wenger told reporters.

“It took him a while to get into the game, but in the last 20 minutes he was sharp”.

Arsenal may have won the Community Shield way back in August (and may still threaten to win a long-overdue Premier League title), but it’s Chelsea who’ve had the upper hand in this particular matchup since, just as we’ve had the upper hand for many many years now.

Costa had goaded Gabriel into kicking out at him in September’s reverse fixture, earning the Arsenal centre-back a red card, and Wenger told a TV interviewer: “He has got two (Arsenal) players sent off this season”.

“Gunners fans will be anxious, of course, due to their side’s recent history of falling short in the latter stages of the season”.

The remainder of the half was largely dominated by Chelsea and they were close to doubling their lead when first Costa’s near-post drive was saved before Ivanovic’s header from the resulting corner was cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal.

Midfielder Nemanja Matic added on chelseafc.com: “This was the real Chelsea, and I believe that we can show again in the future that we deserve to play for this club”. Chelsea were hanging on at times.

The Gunners had Per Mertesacker sent off after 18 minutes and Diego Costa scored the decisive goal in Sunday’s 1-0 win for Chelsea, which leaves Arsene Wenger’s men three points behind league leaders Leicester with 15 games to go.

“It’s not the first time, it’s not the second, it’s not the third that I was denied a penalty”.