CHELSEA OVERPOWER ARSENAL

DIDIER DROGBA fired Chelsea back to the top of the table last night.

They overpowered Arsenal to make it a miserable week for the Gunners after last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Manchester United. 

But Gunners boss Arsene Wenger claimed that Carlo Ancelotti’s men resorted to dirty tricks to ensure their victory. 

Drogba hit two in the space 16 first-half minutes as the home side limited United’s spell at the top to just over 24 hours, stretching their lead over Arsenal to nine points into the bargain. 

But Wenger was not impressed by Chelsea’s display despite his side’s toothless showing in front of goal. 

He moaned: “Chelsea won, but we didn’t get a demonstration of football from them. 

“They were effi cient and at the end of the day that made the difference. They are a very experienced team, they make the fouls in the right period and in the right place. 

“They make the fouls in the middle of the pitch with a little push and a little tug of the shirt which isn’t enough to get a yellow card. 

“They have a lot of tricks of an experienced team and do it very well.

“But I’m not unhappy with their challenges ­because the referee is on the field to make sure the rules are respected.”

Wenger’s men ­dominated possession for large periods, but ­struggled to turn their superiority into chances.

However, the Frenchman refused to criticise his side, despite yet ­another failure against one of their title rivals.

Yesterday’s defeat made it two wins apiece for Chelsea and United. He said: “We had mountains of possession but couldn’t turn it into chances.

“We had 70 per cent of the ball, so it wasn’t like we were chasing after the ball for the whole game. We weren’t dominated.

“In a big game like that when you go two down, it’s too much. But I was happy with our ­performance and spirit.” Blues boss Ancelotti ­rejected Wenger’s claims, saying: “It was a ­fantastic defensive performance. We worked for 90 ­minutes.

“Sometimes you have to attack, but sometimes you have to defend, and we ­defended together. Petr Cech didn’t have a save to make.

“Maybe they had more possession, but that isn’t football. Football is about ­defending, attacking and results.

“We deserved to win because you can’t speak about only possession – you must have more than that.”

Under-fire skipper John Terry was again the centre of ­attention, getting plenty of support from the home crowd.

Ancelotti added: “My captain has a fantastic attitude. He is my perfect captain.

“I gave him a hug at the end of the game because I wanted to say thank you, but all my players deserved a hug.”

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