Wiltord leaves Blues little to savour

Michael Hart13 April 2012
Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

Sylvain Wiltord's two goals nudged Chelsea's season towards a premature conclusion while providing Arsene Wenger's critics with a timely reminder of the value of his rotation system.

Wenger, who has attracted criticism for overlooking Dennis Bergkamp and Nwankwo Kanu in recent days, summoned Wiltord from the substitute's bench at Highbury yesterday in the hope that the Frenchman would propel Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

He did just that. It all went spec-tacularly to plan, Wiltord scoring twice in 10 minutes in a victory that earned Arsenal a home quarter-final clash against Bolton or Blackburn Rovers.

With four clubs from the capital in the draw, the quarter-final raises the intriguing prospect of an all-London final for the first time since 1982 when Tottenham beat QPR.

Arsenal, last winners in their 'double' year of 1998, have been installed as favourites, leaving last season's winners Chelsea and their new manager Claudio Ranieri to face a period of self-analysis.

The simple truth for Chelsea is that a place in European football next season will now involve the unedifying scramble for UEFA Cup qualification, probably via the Inter Toto Cup.

Ranieri, not yet six months in the job at Stamford Bridge, hasn't completely ruled out a top three finish and a place in the Champions League.

"While it's mathematically possible to qualify that will be my ambition," he said. "I want to transmit those positive thoughts to my players."

They would have to be super-optimists to hold out much hope, especially if Ranieri continues to remove Gianfranco Zola from the fray at key moments. The Italian, who provided the one element of Chelsea's play that troubled Arsenal, was taken off at half-time when Ranieri reorganised his team.

The absence of Tony Adams and Martin Keown presented Ranieri with the chance to exploit the unfamiliar and untried Arsenal centre back partnership of Igors Stepanovs and Oleg Luzhny, who together grew in confidence as the game progressed.

But instead of throwing two strikers at the heart of the Arsenal defence, the Chelsea coach gave a lone attacking role to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, played Zola as a deep supporting striker and then tried to crowd out the midfield.

Here, of course, Arsenal's Patrick Vieira was the dominant influence, stamping his authority on the game while avoiding the flourish of yellow cards - six in all - that accompanied the juvenile pushing and shoving in the first half.

Chelsea's Celestine Babayaro should have been sent off for deliberately stepping on Freddie Ljungberg's ankle while he was on the floor, but Vieira appears to have learned his lessons.

Ranieri didn't see it quite that way. "It seemed that when anyone touched Vieira it was like touching God," he complained. "It was as if he was unpunishable."

It was the domination of Vieira and Arsenal's wide players Robert Pires and Ljungberg that forced Ranieri to make changes at half-time.

He brought on Eidur Gud-johnsen and Jesper Gronkjaer but, within seven minutes, Gronkjaer had presented Arsenal with the opening goal.

When Chelsea's latest foreign recruit pushed Lauren over in the penalty area referee Graham Barber had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Thierry Henry's low shot into the corner gave Carlo Cudicini little chance of saving.

Ten minutes later Hasselbaink finally took advantage of Arsenal's new-look defence. He received the ball with his back to goal, wriggled clear of Luzhny and Lee Dixon and hit a superb rising drive from just outside the area that gave David Seaman no chance.

Moments later Gudjohnsen, who had replaced Zola, struck an Arsenal post. "That was the crucial moment," said Ranieri. "Had we scored then I think we would have won."

Instead Wiltord, sent on to replace Pires in the 70th minute, chased a long ball from the impressive Stepanovs and lifted his shot over the advancing Cudicini. Then, with five minutes remaining, Wiltord met a right wing cross from Lauren with a thudding drive that flew past Cudicini, taking his total of goals for the season to eight.

"I'm very happy for Sylvain," said Wenger. "I'm happy with the other strikers too but I have four world-class players in this position and that means I will always have two who are unhappy."

But no one should be unhappy at Highbury at the moment. Six straight wins have put them back into the silverware stakes - reviving their Champions League hopes and securing a place in the last eight of the FA Cup. They couldn't be in a better frame of mind as they prepare for Sunday's clash at Old Trafford.

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