By Myles Palmer
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Chelsea 1 Arsenal 3
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Terry og 24, Wiltord 34, Terry 74, Lauren 82
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My preview asked some questions.
The first was :
Can Vieira be a giant twice in 3 days?
Yes. He was majestic against Everton in a 2-1 victory and last night he made the first two goals in this pulsating triumph at Stamford Bridge.
In The Professor I was critical of PV for often performing at 70% last season, for being out-played by Mauro Silva, a short Brazilian old enough to be his dad.
But last night Vieira was inspiring, powerful,creative, a colossus.
My second question was : Will this be one of those nights where Claudio is so tactical that he beats himself?
Yes.
I’m told that The Times calls Ranieri too clever by half this morning.
Why did I call Ranieri one of football’s good guys?
He is a nitwit.
Wenger made five changes in his 4-4-2 and Ranieri
CHANGED HIS FORMATION to 3-5-2.
He always gets it wrong against Arsenal.
Would any other coach on this planet switch the formation of a side that has drawn 2-2 at Highbury and just won 5-0 at home to Man City?
Would any other coach start Jody Morris and leave Gudjohnsen, Desailly, Gronkjaer and Zenden on the bench?
Chelsea can’t beat Arsenal, so Ranieri is at every midweek game at Highbury, trying to figure out how to beat them.
He is there more often than Sven.
But he overthinks it. He always over-thinks it.
He made it easy for Arsenal because Chelsea had no left back. That area was where the first two goals came.
In 24, Vieira broke and crossed low into the box.
Wiltord and Jeffers and Pires were all in scoring positions and John Terry diverted the cross past Cudicini for 1-0 in 34, Ranieiri’s five midfielders were gung-ho, spectators as Vieira strode down the middle and released Wiltord,whose first-time shot flew fiercely past Cudicini for 2-0.
Killer move, killer finish, typical Arsenal, end of game.
AMAZINGLY, ARSENE HAD RESTED DENNIS,GIO,THIERRY, FREDDIE and GILBERTO.
Stuart Taylor made three great saves, Lauren was superb (as he was against Everton and Valencia), Toure did well again, Sol was immense, Cygan won some big headers before getting sent off for two yellows in 48, Pires was livelier thanhe has been, Vieira should be Footballer of the Year, Edu was as good a she wa sin the 2-2, Wiltord did OK up front, and Jeffers was pretty anonymous.
When Chelsea took a short corner in 78, Hasselbaink crossed and Gallas was offside and John Terry sent a bouncing header past Taylor and the flag stayed down.
But Lauren replied within four minutes.
Terry was apparently paralysed as Lauren cut inside Zenden (still no left back!) and Parlour stayed back,covering Lauren rather than supporting him, so Cameroon’s Mr Cool scored with a left-foot shot which CC should have saved.
Back to back Doubles look likely now.
Their momentum is huge now.
Who can stop them?
The Arsenal Express is thundering down the tracks again and Keown and Cole will be back for the Aston Villa game and Neil Warnock and Gordon Strachan will have been gobsmacked by the manner in which Chelsea were demolished.
The team that was by far the best in England in 2002 is still by far the best in 2003.
Last night’s 3-1 win proved that to anybody who doubted it.
And Man United’s fixtures are very tough.
If Arsene Wenger could have chosen Fergie’s four games before Highbury he would have chosen : Liverpool at Old Trafford, Real Madrid away, Newcastle away, Real Madrid at Old Trafford.
A horrible schedule. A brutal schedule. Liverpool will be fired up and tackling like maniacs.
So a historic double Double is within Arsene’s grasp.
He won’t count his chickens, but he will keep saying that he believes in this team.
It will be a grim day for ENIC if Arsenal do the double again.
And I don’t doubt that they will.
The only thing that’s in doubt is whether Patrick Vieira will be Footballer of the Year.
26th March 2003.