Arsenal vs Chelsea: Happy anniversary for Arsene Wenger as he finally exorcises his Chelsea demons

Arsenal recorded their first victory over Chelsea since 2010 to give Wenger one of his happiest memories over his 20-year stay in north London

Arsene Wenger celebrates after Mesut Özil scores Arsenal's third goal int he 3-0 win over Chelsea (Getty)

When Theo Walcott stroked Hector Bellerin’s cross beyond a sprawling Thibaut Coutois, there was only one Arsenal fan in the Emirates Stadium, possibly the world, that wasn’t celebrating. As a noise rarely heard in north London erupted, Arsene Wenger stood calmly on the edge of the technical area, bellowing out instructions to Shkodran Mustafi.

He was right to be cautious, as the Arsenal manager has been here before, notably little more than a month ago when Liverpool fought back from a first-half deficit to triumph 4-3. That result suggested another season of near-misses was on the cards. This performance against Chelsea suggested otherwise by some margin.

Arsenal have enough pace in their side to frighten any defence – even one as resolute as the likes of Atletico Madrid – but it’s seldom that they all click during the same match. But when the defence contains David Luiz and Gary Cahill, then ideas of cricket scores are not too far away. By the time Mesut Özil’s volley deflected in off the post and widened Arsenal’s lead to three goals, even Wenger was smiling.

The 66-year-old has endured some miserable afternoons against Chelsea. His 1,000th match with Arsenal ended in a humiliating 6-0 defeat, he roughed up Jose Mourinho before his arch-rival’s side secured a damaging 2-0 victory in 2014 and it was Chelsea’s 1-0 win here at the Emirates two seasons ago that effectively sealed the title for the Blues that season.

But Wenger will have enjoyed few matches more than this. Antonio Conte, the defensively stout Italian whose reputation goes before him, got his team selection wrong. Wenger’s squad, for once, listened to their manager’s words earlier in the week and found the right balance between passion and control, and even the home fans got behind their side from the get-go.

With Wenger celebrating the 20th anniversary since his arrival in north London was announced last Thursday, Arsenal fans were quick to remind each other on social media that the time since Arsenal last lifted the Premier League trophy is ticking towards 13 consecutive years. Had his side played like they did this afternoon throughout the 2015/16 campaign though, the Leicester City fairy tale would most likely never have happened.

But this victory does not mean Arsenal are on course for the title, and Wenger knows it. He admitted afterwards that while the win exorcises the Chelsea demons – “inconvenient facts” as he put it – it does not mean they are suddenly better than Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side. It is though a platform for Arsenal to build upon, but it’s up to Wenger to show that he and his squad are just as hungry for the title 20 years down the line as when he changed the English game forever.