Arsenal seek to end Chelsea hoodoo

As Arsene Wenger celebrates the 20th anniversary of becoming Arsenal manager, having Chelsea as the opponent on Saturday could not be more appropriate.

With almost eerie symmetry, Wenger’s reign following his appointment splits into two almost equal ten-year blocks of glory, and objective disappointment.

Three Premier League titles, four FA Cup wins and a UEFA Champions League runners-up over the first ten years tally against two FA Cups across the next.

And while titanic tussles against Manchester United may define that first half of the Wenger-era, it is perhaps clashes with Chelsea that have come to exemplify the second.

Arsenal go into Saturday’s late evening encounter locked on ten points with Antonio Conte’s side but ahead on goal difference by a single goal.

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With Manchester City already five points clear after an impeccable start, dropped points for either side are not an option.

And that is where the issue lies for Arsenal.

The Gunners have won none of their last nine Premier League matches against Chelsea and have failed to register a goal in the last six league meetings.

It is 572 minutes since Theo Walcott’s strike in a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge in January 2013.

That last league victory was in October 2011 when Robin Van Persie’s hat-trick paved the way for a memorable 5-3 result. We are now four years and eleven months removed from that result and Arsenal have yet to claim another three points against the Blues.

As Wenger’s longevity persists, more and more milestones are checked off. The last such notable marker was in March 2014, when the Frenchman celebrated 1000 games at the helm, with ‘celebrated’ being a relative term.

The opponents? Chelsea. The outcome? A 6-0 lashing that still smarts Gunners to this day.

Of those last nine league matches, Chelsea have won six and there have been three draws, all 0-0. Two of those have occurred in the last three meetings at the Emirates with only a Diego Costa goal preventing a third straight stalemate at the Gunners’ home last season.

The Gunners have won just one of their last eight home league meetings against the Blues, that victory coming in December 2010. They have lost four and drawn three of the other encounters.

No road team has won more often at the Emirates in the Premier League than Chelsea.

The fleeting bright spot for the Gunners since they used to beat Chelsea regularly in Wenger’s early years was winning the 2015 Community Shield. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s lone goal at Wembley gave Wenger his first victory in a match against then manager Jose Mourinho.

Oxlade-Chamberlain stressed the importance of staying composed in the febrile atmosphere of the Emirates come Saturday evening when speaking to the club website.

“First and foremost, it’s a massive game and we just need to keep our discipline and stay in the game,” he said. “I’d back this team to be able to beat anyone in the league on our day.