Last weekend's Chelsea V Arsenal 2015 fixture was expected to be one of the highlights of the EPL season. 
Before we review the game let's rewind a bit. A week ago, following the Chelsea football club's 1-3 loss against Everton, club manager Jose Mourinho noted that his team was suffering from a severe spot of bad luck. He had a point: other than an August 23rd victory against West Bromwich Albion, the Blues hadn't won a Premier League match all year. Worse, their winless streak reached all the way back to the end of July, suggesting that the reigning English title holders may have just lost their mojo over the summer months.
Then, something weird happened: Chelsea's luck turned.
Indeed, Mourinho's comment about every shot against his team must have resonated with the soccer gods, because Chelsea FC had a very good week of football. Last Wednesday, the Blues crushed Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0 to win the first match of their Champions League group stage. Then on Saturday, the soccer squad beat Arsenal 2-0 to (almost) leapfrog their way back into the Premier League title conversation.
Arsenal: The Perceived Favorites
Of course, it would probably be advisable not to call this a comeback just yet. After all, Chelsea's win against Arsenal was only their second victory in six weeks of Premier League play, and they're still 
stranded back in 15th place on the standings table. However, just winning a game-not to mention one against a very strong team-will hopefully help push the Blues back to their normal level of football play.
Going into the match, most expected the Gunners to take the three points that come with a win. Arsenal haven't enjoyed a great campaign so far in the 2015 2016 season. They lost their opening match against West Ham United and settled for a 0-0 draw with Liverpool just a few weeks later. But three wins (two of them shutout victories) put the Gunners at 10 points after week five-enough for third place in the league.
When the Gunners marched into Stamford Bridge on Saturday, clad in the Arsenal away jersey 2015 2016, they didn't count on the momentum the Blues were carrying from their big UCL win.
Dramatic Soccer at Stamford Bridge
Not that Chelsea necessarily controlled the match from the beginning. While the Blues did ultimately beat the Gunners in both possession and shots on goal, the first of the game still proved to be a clear stalemate. By halftime, neither football club had managed to get on the board.
However, by halftime, Chelsea did have the advantage, and it was a mistake from an Arsenal player that provided it. After Chelsea's Diego Costa had fouled Arsenal defender Lauren Koscielny, another Gunner-defender Gabriel Paulista-became involved in the confrontation. The spat earned both Costa and Paulista yellow cards, but Costa taunted Paulista as they broke apart, and the Arsenal defender ended up aiming a kick at him. The error earned Paulista a red card and gave Chelsea a one-man advantage to start the second half.
The Blues made the advantage count, with defender Kurt Zouma scoring their first goal less than 10 minutes into the half.
An Easy Road to Victory for Chelsea
At the 79-minute mark, Arsenal captain Santi Cazorla made things even easier for Chelsea. The midfielder had picked up a yellow card in the first half, and should have been playing carefully in the second to avoid an early trip to the locker room. Instead, he made a reckless tackle attempt on Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas late in the game, earning a second yellow card (and a resultant red) and costing the Gunners another man.
At 91 minutes, just before full time, Eden Hazard, reigning Player of the Year at Chelsea, made Arsenal really hurt. The respected attacker scored his first goal of the 2015 2016 season, giving his team a 2-0 win, and giving fans hope that he will be back in scoring mode from here on out.
Overall, the game was a good one for Chelsea, and good luck finally seemed to be playing out in the Blues' favor. They still have a long road ahead of them if they want to catch Manchester City. However, in a twist of fortune following a post match review Diego Costa has been awarded a 3-macth ban, while Arsenal's Gabriel has had his red card overturned, this will be a blow to Chelsea in the coming weeks. They will also have a hard time without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is out for three months with an injury. For now, though, this is the first time all season that the Blues have looked like the team they were a year ago.
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