Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea: Jose Mourinho remains unbeaten for 13th game against Arsene Wenger as Blues extend lead at the top

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Oscar almost gave Chelsea the lead after 15 minutes when he lobbed Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina
The Chelsea midfielder collided with Ospina and had to be substituted for 'possible concussion' at half-time
Jose Mourinho felt it should have been a penalty for Chelsea but referee Michael Oliver gave nothing
Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas received a yellow card for diving in the box in the first half
Arsenal wanted their own penalty when Santi Cazorla's shot lifted on to the arm of Gary Cahill
Chelsea captain John Terry and his team-mates celebrated the stalemate at full-time with the fans

By Martin Samuel for the Daily Mail

Published: 11:54 EST, 26 April 2015 | Updated: 19:52 EST, 26 April 2015

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George Graham, from his perch in the stand, would in his own way have loved it. Not seeing Arsenal fail to overcome Chelsea, of course. Just the manner in which the opponents executed their game plan.

Chelsea didn’t need to win here. They just didn’t want to lose. So, after half-time, Jose Mourinho threw a big blue blanket over the action in the way that Graham did, on occasions, in his time at Arsenal. Some of those players were still living off those lessons years later, when Arsene Wenger won the Double with them.

Until Mourinho gave the order to shut it down, the match had been highly entertaining. A few opportunities at either end, the standard smattering of vain penalty appeals. Everyone ticked off with referee Michael Oliver, both teams looking capable of victory.

Oscar almost gave Chelsea the lead in the 15th minute when the midfielder managed to lob Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina

Oscar won the ball ahead of approaching goalkeeper David at the Emirates but the pair came together in a clash on Sunday afternoon

The ball went on to be cleared off the line as Oscar received a clattering from Ospina, which Jose Mourinho felt should have been a penalty

Oscar had to receive treatment after the clash and was eventually substituted at half-time for 'possible concussion'

John Terry certainly enjoyed the 0-0 draw as he celebrated after the full-time whistle in front of the travelling Chelsea supporters

Captain Terry roars after the 0-0 draw which moved Chelsea 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, MATCH ZONE AND LEAGUE TABLE

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina 6.5, Bellerin 7, Mertesacker 7.5, Koscielny 7, Monreal 6.5, Coquelin 7 (Welbeck 75, 6.5), Cazorla 6.5, Ramsey 6.5, Ozil 7.5, Sanchez 6.5, Giroud 6.5 (Walcott 82, 6.5)

Subs not used: Szczesny, Debuchy, Gibbs, Wilshere, Flamini

Booked: Coquelin, Ramsey, Monreal, Cazorla

Goals: NONE

Manager: Arsene Wenger 6

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6.5, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7.5, Terry 8, Azpilicueta 7, Ramires 6.5, Matic 7, Willian 6.5 (Cuadrado 90, 6), Oscar 6 (Drogba 46, 6), Hazard 6, Fabregas 6 (Zouma 90, 6)

Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Mikel, Loftus-Cheek

Booked: Fabregas, Ivanovic, Willian

Goals: NONE

Manager: Jose Mourinho 7

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland) 6.5

Man of the match: John Terry

Click here for full ratings by Sami Mokbel

How the Premier League table now looks

Oscar's heat map before he had to be substituted for 'possible concussion'... CLICK HERE for stats, heat maps and more

But that leaves matters to chance and Mourinho is no longer in chance-giving mode. So he sent on Didier Drogba for Oscar — who had played 30 minutes despite suffering a blow to the head and was said to have concussion — and despite this additional attacking presence the fun was over.

Wenger is still without a win over Mourinho in 13 meetings. Chelsea kept possession, held Arsenal at arm’s length and defended in a masterly fashion, particularly captain John Terry, whose exclusion from the six-man shortlist for PFA Player of the Year looks more ridiculous with each match Chelsea close down on the way to the inevitable.

If Graham permitted himself an inner half-smile it was because this was a performance that reminded of his Arsenal — resilient, commanding, unbending, uncaring. The home crowd enjoyed a few robust choruses of ‘Boring, boring Chelsea’ at the end but the champions-elect were too busy celebrating to notice.

The bottom line is this: all the teams that complain about the football Chelsea are playing had their chance to stop it and did not.

Arsenal lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Win that game and there would have been four points between the teams going into this. Win that and Chelsea might not have been able to adopt such a high-risk, rope-a-dope policy.

Win that and a late Arsenal goal here could have taken the difference to a point. Instead, Chelsea held out knowing that, even if Arsenal got lucky, the worst that could happen would be a seven-point differential.

It was worth the gamble to just dig in and let Arsenal slam themselves against a brick wall. So that’s what they did. Graham would have done the same. Needing to win by two at Liverpool on the last day of the 1988-89 season, he told his players not to get sucked into playing open football, and not to worry if it was 0-0 at half-time. They still had 45 minutes to score. Arsenal won the league with close to the last kick of the season.

That, however, is not Mourinho’s style. He is a front-runner, who likes to get his team to a commanding position and then bring the shutters down. To do that, however, requires nerve — and Mourinho has plenty in his captain, Terry.

No doubt when Graham looks at Terry he sees an echo of his own man, Tony Adams — the last defensive leader of similar authority in the English game. Terry epitomised Chelsea’s spirit and not just when sweeping up effortlessly as Mesut Ozil stood over a clear shot at goal.

He was magnificent. Marshalling, filling in, standing tall, staying strong. For all of Eden Hazard’s qualities, the second phase of this campaign has been built from the back and, despite Arsenal’s pressure, never did they convince as an attacking force. Mourinho said this was Terry’s best game for him. High praise indeed.

Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

Cesc Fabregas went down under this challenge by Santi Cazorla in the box (left) but was judged to have dived by the referee

Fabregas could have been awarded a penalty but the referee thought otherwise as he booked the Chelsea star for diving

Fabregas received a yellow card for diving in the box during the match, much to the delight of his former fans at the Emirates

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas receives a hostile welcome from supporters of his former club Arsenal at the Emirates

Chelsea manager Mourinho complains during the Premier League match as he looked to extend his club's lead at the top of the table

EA SPORTS DISTANCE STATS
	Mins	KM	Miles
Arsenal		108.2	67.2
Aaron Ramsey	90	12.0	7.4
Mesut Ozil	90	11.3	7.0
Santi Cazorla	86	10.9	6.8
Chelsea		107.5	66.8
Nemanja Matic	90	11.5	7.2
Cesc Fabregas	89	11.4	7.1
Ramires	90	10.8	6.7.

In an echo of last week’s win over Manchester United, Chelsea often conceded possession to Arsenal while preventing them doing much worthwhile with it. A rare exception came when Willian, who was immense in the ground he covered, caught Laurent Koscielny with a high boot. Thibaut Courtois for once came up short, patting at the free-kick which fell to Per Mertesacker. He showed why he is a centre half, however, screwing his shot wide.

The first half was marked by a series of penalty appeals, although Chelsea’s, in particular, were strange ones. Both times they had a case but instinct suggested Michael Oliver called them right.

In the 15th minute, a lovely through pass by Cesc Fabregas put Oscar clear. He outpaced Arsenal’s back line and deftly chipped the advancing goalkeeper, David Ospina. As the ball made its way to the goal, Ospina’s desperate rush took him into Oscar at full force.

It looked a complete accident. Yet when has that ever been an excuse in other areas of the pitch? If a player hit his opponent after the ball has gone in the centre circle, it is a foul. He cannot use momentum as an excuse.

Yet Ospina got away with it, and Arsenal, too, as Hector Bellerin cleared off the line. By the version of the rules that apply in the penalty area, though, it would have seemed harsh had Ospina been found guilty, not least because he would also have been sent off, even though the collision later ended Oscar’s participation.

The next appeal had merit, too, of sorts. Without doubt, Santi Cazorla’s outstretched leg was a mistake and his efforts to retract it may not have been entirely successful. Equally, Fabregas sought to establish greater contact, jerking out his left leg to deliberately catch Cazorla and accentuate the impression of a trip. Oliver’s yellow card for simulation seemed reasonable in the circumstances.

Arsene Wenger: Chelsea will be champions and they deserve it

Arsenal had a shout for handball when Cazorla's shot lifted on to the arm of Chelsea defender Gary Cahill during the match

The referee was not impressed and did not bow to pressure from Arsenal supporters when they claimed Cahill committed a handball

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey shows his frustration during the match after a miss as the game remained at 0-0 for the majority

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (right) gives Mourinho a glance as the Chelsea boss complains to the fourth official at the Emirates

Mourinho interacts with the crowd at the Emirates as he has a discussion with an Arsenal supporter behind hi

ARSENAL AND CHELSEA'S REMAINING PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

ARSENAL

Hull (away) - May 2

Swansea (home) - May 11

Man United (away) - May 17

Sunderland (home) May 20

West Brom (home) - May 24

CHELSEA

Leicester (away) - April 29

Crystal Palace (home) - May 3

Liverpool (home) - May 10

West Brom (away) - May 18

Sunderland (home) - May 24

Arsenal were aggrieved after 34 minutes but, again, to play on seemed the fairest decision. It was a neat move, Alexis Sanchez picking out Bellerin on the right, his cross being met with a low shot from Cazorla. The ball struck Gary Cahill’s leg as he lunged full-length to block, flipping up to strike him plainly on an arm. Yet Cahill’s arm was not in an unnatural position, and he could do little about the trajectory of the ball. Outrage followed when Oliver didn’t bite, but it was misplaced.

It would be wrong, however, to view the first half merely as a succession of moans and grudges. This was, initially, a fast, highly skilled game between teams who are expected to contend for the title next season.

There were chances at both ends and Ramires had the best of them when he was put through by a beautiful pass from Willian. It was crying out for a striker’s finish, but Ramires’s little poke was never going to trouble any goalkeeper, and certainly not one in the form of Ospina.

There will be the usual bus-parking guff after this, of course, as there always is when Chelsea tough it out. The fact is, however, no team go 10 points clear just by shutting games down. They go 10 clear by being the best attacking team, and then defending that lead. Chelsea have shown control over both facets of the game and that isn’t easy. Ask George Graham.

Jose Mourinho: Boring is going 10 years without winning a title