Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal: Arsene Wenger Reveals Why Gunners Performed Better Than Anfield Pummeling

By The Editor
on 17th September 2017

Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal…

Arsene Wenger cited the closure of the transfer window as the key difference between our mature display at Stamford Bridge compared to the horror show we witnessed at Liverpool.

In our first Premier League encounter away from home since that debacle at Anfield last month, Wenger was looking for a reaction from the team and found it.

While we didn’t snatch all three points against Antonio Conte’s men, we defended resolutely throughout and had the ball in the back of the net, only for Shkodran Mustafi’s effort to be chalked off for offside.

Alexandre Lacazette should’ve put us ahead with an effort he blazed over the bar with the goal gaping, but Wenger feels the reasons behind the upturn in performances is simple.

“We are not in a transfer period and on the day we played Liverpool that affected us,” Wenger told Sky Sports.

“We are all human beings.

“If you play 55 games a season you can have a bad performance.

“But we were focused and determined. We tried to play when we had the ball and we were close to winning the game. With a bit more freedom we would have won the game.”

Wenger’s acknowledgement that the transfer window caused a few distractions is rather bizarre given that he previously stated that the situation was “ideal”.

Of those linked with moves away, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the only one to depart.