Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Arsene Wenger, Antonio Conte React to Premier League Match

Manager Arsene Wenger praised Arsenal’s mix of both “style and steel” after the Gunners thrashed Chelsea 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte called on his team to show they’re better on the pitch than on paper after a second straight league defeat.

The result moved Arsenal to third in the Premier League and gave the north London club their first win over Chelsea in the competition since 2011. Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil scored first-half goals for an Arsenal squad that Wenger believes can challenge unbeaten leaders Manchester City in this season’s title race.

Wenger felt his team played with the ideal blend of style and toughness, a combination Chelsea couldn’t handle on the day, per the Premier League’s official Twitter account:

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: “I’m very happy. We needed to change the recent history. I think we did it in style and steel” pic.twitter.com/yRuWZcL5Bc

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 24, 2016

Wenger’s use of the word “steel” said a lot about how the Gunners approached the game. Too often, Wenger’s teams have been dismissed as all style and no substance in big matches during recent years.

Yet they approached Saturday’s game with resourcefulness and a ruthless streak. Both qualities were particularly obvious in midfield, where the Gunners let Chelsea boss the ball before consistently robbing Blues players with a crunching tackle or timely interception to spark lightning-fast breaks forward.

Holding player Francis Coquelin was a key early figure in Arsenal’s overtly physical approach. But the Frenchman lasted just over a half-hour before an injury forced summer signing Granit Xhaka to replace him on the pitch.

Wenger confirmed Coquelin has a knee problem but hopes the destructive midfielder won’t be out as long as the four months a similar injury cost him last season, per Squawka News:

Arsène Wenger on Francis Coquelin:“It’s a knee problem in the same place he had last year, I hope it’s not as bad.” pic.twitter.com/urkrNMwvCN

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) September 24, 2016

Still, not even an early change could knock the Gunners out of their stride. Wenger was particularly pleased with the fluency and flair of his team’s game, per ESPN’s Miguel Delaney:

Wenger: “The first half was nearly perfect. We played with style, with pace, with movement.”

— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) September 24, 2016 …

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