01/01/2003  Arsenal 3 Chelsea 2
 
Arsenal began the New Year by inflicting their first 
significant blow of the season on a title rival, but only 
after surviving a late fightback by Chelsea at Highbury.

Having drawn against Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as 
losing at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger's side finally 
managed to damage the title challenge of Claudio Ranieri's 
team.

Marcel Desailly's own goal was all that separated the sides 
until Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Thierry Henry looked to 
have made sure of victory in the final 10 minutes.

However, Mario Stanic and Emmanuel Petit struck within the 
space of just over two minutes to ensure Arsenal a nervous 
finale before they confirmed an eight-point advantage over 
their London rivals.

Arsenal would have been in an even more dominant position 
without Paul Scholes' late winner for Manchester United at Old 
Trafford.

But there was still considerable relief at the final 
whistle after Chelsea's desperate late surge for an 
equaliser.

Amid pouring rain, the visitors, with another six 
alterations to their ever-changing line-up, immediately 
announced their intention to take the game to the Premiership 
leaders.

Enrique de Lucas burst into the penalty area but he mis-hit 
his shot wide and, with just nine minutes gone, all of the 
visitors' early pressure had counted for nothing when they 
went behind.

The goal was a classic Arsenal counter-attack, with Robert 
Pires firing a crossfield ball into the path of the surging 
figure of Ashley Cole.

His cross found Dennis Bergkamp and while the Dutchman 
failed to make clean contact with the ball, it bounced, via an 
apparent deflection off Desailly, into the ground and over 
Carlo Cudicini into the net.

That was the cue for Arsenal to start imposing themselves 
in midfield, although it was still a largely scrappy affair in 
which the Gunners' main threat continued to come on the 
break.

Graeme Le Saux did test out David Seaman with a firm drive 
which the Arsenal keeper did well enough to parry but even 
better to recover and dive on the rebound ahead of 
Hasselbaink.

Otherwise, however, Chelsea started to lose their way, with 
Sylvain Wiltord and Patrick Vieira both threatening to extend 
Arsenal's advantage.

And although the visitors again started positively after 
the restart, with Seaman gathering a snap-shot from de Lucas, 
Arsenal almost responded in exactly the same way as the 
first-half.

Henry's pace and power took him clear of William Gallas but 
his cutback went just inches behind Gilberto as the Brazilian 
raced into the penalty area unmarked.

The Frenchman continued to pose the greatest menace, with 
his incredible pace taking him past first Gallas and then 
Desailly as he twice threatened Cudicini's goal.

Arsenal's lead nevertheless continued to be slender and 
both managers looked to seize a tactical advantage as the game 
wore on.

On came Jesper Gronkjaer for Chelsea to give more 
penetration. Wenger countered with van Bronckhorst down the 
same flank and then replaced Wiltord with Lauren on the other 
wing.

Ranieri's response was to bring on Eidur Gudjohnsen up 
front, with Gianfranco Zola moving deeper, before the Italian 
hobbled off, to be replaced by Stanic.

Wenger, meanwhile, made his own final move, with Kolo Toure 
on for Bergkamp, and Henry therefore left as his team's only 
real attacking outlet.

That, however, was reckoning without van Bronckhorst's 
superb 20-yard finish to cap a move which he started with a 
crunching tackle on the halfway line before Henry provided the 
vital link.

Just a minute later, Henry looked to have made sure of 
victory as he cut inside Gallas and delivered a shot which 
Cudicini should have saved only to see the ball bobble through 
his grasp and into the net.

However, Chelsea were, even then, amazingly still not out 
of it.

First, Stanic headed home from point-blank range after 
Hasselbaink had nodded a corner back across the six-yard area 
with four minutes left.

And then Seaman collided with Sol Campbell to provide Petit 
with an open goal against his former club to spark a frantic 
finale before the Gunners eventually prevailed.