The Arsenal has been outgunned again on home ground. After losing 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League in recent times, Wenger's men have succumbed again to high-quality opposition; this time in the form of high-flying Chelsea in the Capital One Cup 4th round. Mourinho's men, themselves coming off a glorious 2-1 win against Manchester City in the league, are now riding high and are in a "good moment" right now. (LOL)
In this game, both teams played their second-stringers. Chelsea made ten changes to their starting line-up compared to the game against City; Arsenal made eight from their 2-0 league win at Crystal Palace. The difference is: Chelsea's reserves are better than Arsenal's reserves. While the visitors could boast the likes of Ghanian superstar Michael Essien and one of the global game's all-time top marksmen Samuel Eto'o (at one point the highest-paid footballer on the planet), the home team had to be content with Danish international Nicklas Bendtner in attack and little-used Japanese Ryo Miyaichi on the right flank.
And therein lay the difference. While Chelsea asserted their authority and strangled the game out of Arsenal as the contest went on, the Gunners huffed and puffed to frustration and dead ends. Jack Wilshere was not up to his usual best, and questions remain whether the signing of Ozil has indeed dampened his influence. Miyaichi did precious little to stake his claim for first-team consideration, and South Korean skipper Park Chu Young did even less when he came on as an 81st minute substitute.
In the end, right-back Cesar Azpilicueta's first-ever goal for his club, and Juan Mata's glorious, right-footed swerver were enough to send Chelsea to the quarter-finals and leave their manager Mourinho purring in delight. For Wenger, the pain was there for all to see, as his team's long trophy drought just got extended.
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