Man of the Match: Arsenal v. Chelsea

December hasn't really gone to plan and our shocking run of form unfortunately didn't stop on Sunday. We welcomed the current English champions to Highbury for the last time on the weekend when we were handed our 6th defeat of the season. To be honest I don't think we played badly; we were just beaten by an appalling decision in the opening half. Robin van Persie scored a "regular goal" as Wenger called it but it was disallowed apparently it was offside. That would have changed the outcome of the game but it was obviously not meant to be. Chelsea scored before the break and doubled their advantage in the second to deny us a first win of the month. We haven't managed to get on the scoresheet this month but we still have plenty of opportunities to do so in the hectic Christmas period.

Here is how the team performed:

Defence Lehmann had another good match between the sticks and is looking better and better in every match. Touré, my Motm was brilliant. He didn't give up and worked hard out there for the team. Senderos had another decent match alongside Campbell who worries me sometimes when he is on the ball. Lauren was good on the left side however had to sacrifice a tooth for the cause. The defence as a whole played well.

Midfield Cesc and Flamini were our midfield pairing to the suspension of Gilberto. They did well together especially Flamini, who I hadn't seen start for a long time, impressed me and dealt with the Chelsea threat to the best of his ability. Ljungberg was again quiet and frequently left gaps on the right side. Hleb was decent and got up forward as much as Chelsea let him. The service to the front two overall was disappointing from the midfield and that is one of the things that let us down.

Up Front The lads up front haven't got on the scoresheet this month but they have tried. Thierry had a chance early on in this one but he hit the post. He was quiet overall but that's mainly due to no service to them upfront. Robin scored a good goal, it's a shame it didn't stand. He was quiet as well hopefully we see an improvement in our next match.

Overall I thought we played well and were let down by some horrible decisions but that's the way the game is im afraid. Im proud of the way the lads played overall, they tried to rush them and get in the oppositions faces, a new tactic. We played some good football and hopefully the boys aren't too discouraged but yet another defeat. Next up is Doncaster in the Carling Cup on Wednesday and then Charlton in the league on Boxing Day.

The Official Arsenal-Mania Man of the Match for this game is Kolo Touré who worked harder than anyone else on that pitch. Kolo won the award with 44% of the votes; he was followed by Mathieu Flamini who had 29% and Robin van Persie who had 8%.

Quotes from the MOTM voters:

Touré. The only Arsenal player who gave 110% for 90 minutes of the game.
James

Flamini for me. Intercepted well, passed well and looked composed. Kept Frank "world class" Lampard quiet.
Gurgen

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