Wenger hails Arsenal's 'style And steel' to overcome Chelsea hoodoo

24 September 2016 07:15

Arsenal helped manager Arsene Wenger celebrate his 20th anniversary with a performance that was all about style and steel.

The Gunners were firing on all cylinders in a devastating 40-minute spell that blew Chelsea away; the Blues defence shot to pieces.

Goals from Alexis Sanchez (11 mins), Theo Walcott (14) and Mesut Ozil (40) meant it was game over by half time. That was the 'style' Arsene talked about.

The second half was the time for defensive 'steel' to come to the fore; a quality sadly lacking in the Chelsea rearguard.

Blues boss Antonio Conte, however, refused to point the finger at individuals and said: "I don't want to talk about defensive mistakes; it is not right for the players. It is a team problem.

"We win as a team; we lose as a team. But what I can say is that, from the first minute, we did not have the right attitude. We must work harder to become a good team on the pitch; not just on paper."

Totally different emotions in the Arsenal camp, of course, and the long-serving Wenger was understandably delighted with his side's performance - from front to back.

After Arsenal's emphatic 3-0 win, only their second in eight clashes with Chelsea, Arsene said on BT Sport: "I am very happy because, as I said before the game, 'the convenient facts are there' and we needed to change the recent history.

"We did it with style and steel, which is what we wanted to do. I think we were committed, with great discipline, and that is not always easy in games of this kind.

"Overall, we played the game the way we like to play - a game based on good movement and technical quality with pace. I believe it was the kind of performance that convinces the players we are moving in the right way."

Asked if he would be celebrating his anniversary as well as the victory, Wenger smiled and said: "I will enjoy this for 24 hours, and then start thinking about the next game."

Source: PA-WIRE