“I am sure even if Arsenal don’t get a red card we would continue to play well because before that we were playing very well and we had some chances”, the midfielder told the official Chelsea website.
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I said Costa got two of our players sent off in the last two games against Chelsea. Those are only facts. Was the decision right or wrong? I do not accuse him of anything.
“I don’t know what to say”. We had to take it on the chin and get on with the job.
The immediate focus is on the FA Cup which Arsenal have won in the last two seasons.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink took a different view.
“He is strategically very strong”, said Hiddink.
The Gunners played the majority of the 1-0 defeat with ten men following Per Mertesacker’s red card on 18minutes but could have levelled on a few occasions according to Cech. “From what I saw (Costa) was tripped”, Hiddink said.
Wenger defended his decision to send on Gabriel for striker Olivier Giroud after Mertesacker’s exit.
Arsenal turned its stadium into a fortress this season, remaining unbeaten in the league since the opening day – until Sunday. We played with 10 men and sometimes those things happen in football and you need to adapt to that, but that is no excuse. Although, the performance was a tad encouraging, but Arsenal’s failure to beat the big clubs shows they still have a soft underbelly, especially against Chelsea. The fourth Champions League place, occupied by Tottenham 14 points away, looks unobtainable.
“Anything is possible”, Terry said. “Anything is doable. Everybody is beating everybody else”.
The loss has put a dent in Arsenal’s title hopes as they have lost the top spot in the Premier League. This is the first match in the Premier League for me.
Hiddink said: “With that gap, it’s hard to go into fourth position. But I will follow my captain”.
The Frenchman added that the match wasn’t as confrontational as the one at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were on top now, controlling possession as they made use of the one-man advantage.
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“I’d have to watch it again”.
