Chelsea leave with a point after dismal derby against Arsenal

By

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 0

Chelsea picked up a potentially crucial point in a truly dismal game at the Emirates Stadium.

They remain seven points behind third-placed Arsenal but at least maintained some pressure on Tottenham and Newcastle in the race for a top-four finish.

Interim boss Roberto Di Matteo predictably made several changes ahead of next week’s clash with Barcelona.

Fernando Torres started up front in place of the injured Dider Drogba, while Salomon Kalou, Daniel Sturridge, Florent Malouda, Oriol Romeu, Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa and Ryan Bertrand also came in.

Even with a Champions League semi-final second leg on the horizon, this was a vital game for the Blues in their battle to snatch fourth place.

And their obvious sense of urgency unsettled Arsenal early on, although the Gunners came close to going ahead shortly before the interval, when Laurent Koscielny headed against the bar from Robin van Persie’s free-kick.

There was more action in first-half injury time, with Petr Cech producing a good save to deny Van Persie and Chelsea skipper John Terry heading narrowly over.

But that was as lively as it got, with both sides struggling to create chances in an uneventful second half.

Advertising on West London Sport

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook