Arsenal's Resilience at Stamford Bridge Gives Fans Hope of a

Possible Title Challenge

Arsenal were widely predicted to struggle in West London on Sunday 17th September
but they battled their way to a creditable draw and almost stole all three points in the
second half. Arsene Wenger's side have stuttered and stumbled so far this season but
this performance keeps their faint hopes alive of a possible tilt at the title.

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The Gunners don't have fond memories of their recent visits to Stamford Bridge having
previously failed to pick up a single point there since October 2011. Wenger's men won
5-3 that day thanks to a hat-trick from Robin Van Persie and went on to finish six
points above the Blues in the final Premier League standings. Arsenal came into that
game off the back of seven wins in eight but have struggled for form so far this year
which made Sunday's result even more impressive.

Arsenal Showed Appetite for the Battle

The North London outfit faced a quick turnaround ahead of this game following their
3-1 success at home to FC Koln in the Europa League but they looked the livelier side in
the opening exchanges. The match was shown live on TV and football fans around the
world could be forgiven for expecting another Arsenal collapse on the road but that
was far from the case. Mezut Ozil missed the match through injury but his presence
wasn't needed as Arsenal rolled up their sleeves and dug in. They've won just four of
their last 15 away matches in the Premier League and their last victory on the road
against top six opposition (vs Manchester City in 2015) was also a game in which Ozil
was absent. The German international often divides fans and if the Gunners can show
this kind of fight and endeavour on a weekly basis, he may struggle to find his way
back into the side. This was far from a perfect Arsenal performance with Alexandre
Lacazette and Danny Welbeck both missing presentable opportunities but they were
stronger at the back and kept Alvaro Morata quiet throughout the 90 minutes.
Shkodran Mustafi didn't feature in the Community Shield and has played just 270
minutes of football this season but his performance will buoy those travelling fans and
will surely result in a regular first team position.

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Can Arsenal Build Upon this Performance?

Arsenal restricted Chelsea's opportunities and made it successive clean sheets

following a routine home win against Bournemouth eight days earlier. They still
haven't managed to score on the road but they've started to gather momentum and
the more optimistic fans will still be dreaming of a possible title challenge. They may
have failed to score at Stoke but they created numerous chances and the Potters have
lost just three times at home since November 2016. Their performance at Liverpool

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was languid at best and that is by far and away their most concerning display of the
season but it feels like they have completely flushed that game out of their system. As
of the 20th of September, gambling site Betway have Arsenal priced at 25/1 for the
Premier League title and 6/4 for a top-four finish and with Alexis Sanchez remaining at
the club until at least January, fans will be confident of sustaining a push for the top
positions. They have collected just seven points from their opening five matches
compared to ten last season and nine in 2014-15 but they have faced Liverpool,
Chelsea and Leicester whereas 12 months ago they'd played Watford, Southampton
and Aston Villa (although they'd also conceded four to Liverpool). Hector Bellerin has
insisted his side should not be ruled out of the title race pointing to the champions
Chelsea's shaky start to the campaign last season which saw them win just three of
their first six matches and lose heavily at the Emirates.

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Arsenal have proven that they have plenty of spirit and battling quality twice already
this season with their opening weekend success against Leicester and the goalless
draw at Stamford Bridge. It's still early days in the Premier League title race and very
few pundits would have been brave enough to predict Chelsea's romp to the title at
this stage last season. There are still issues to be ironed out within the squad and
Wenger must ensure Alexis Sanchez can recreate the regular match-winning
performances of the 2016-17 campaign which saw him net 24 times in 38
appearances. Gunners fans are used to seeing their side perennially fall away tamely
when it comes to the title but they've shown they can compete with the sides around
them and it's far too early to rule them out of the race this time around.