Wojciech Szczesny 5/10
An erratic showing. Lucky to avoid a red card for his 15th minute challenge on Ramires, and again not to be caught out by Demba Ba late on.
Bacary Sagna 5
An awful first half, in which he was beaten by Mata for the first goal, partially redeemed by some good attacking work later on.
Per Mertesacker 5
Partly to blame for both goals: poor positioning for the first, and lack of agility meant he failed to react quickly enough for the second. Not his best game.
Thomas Vermaelen 8
A commanding performance, capped by a crucial late tackle on Ramires and a goal-saving clearance off the line from Ba’s shot in the second half.
Kieran Gibbs 7
Lively down the left flank, especially after the break, but too often lacking a final ball, and then caught out of position as Chelsea counter-attacked.
Abou Diaby 5
Always half a stride behind the game, whether getting caught in possession or conceding silly fouls. Could have given away a first-minute penalty.
Francis Coquelin 8
One of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt. Shielded the back four impeccably, and was tidy in possession. Surprisingly substituted after an hour.
Theo Walcott 7
Frequently caused problems for Cole on the right, and his goal was a result of lightning pace and a fine finish. Could have had more than one, in fact.
Jack Wilshere 7
Occasionally overreached, but still a de facto captain, single-handedly holding them together in the first half. Deft, tenacious, and vocal.
Santi Cazorla 8
Grew into the game, with a perfectly-weighted pass for Walcott’s goal, and did not deserve to lose. Took a free-kick with his weaker left foot for good measure.
Olivier Giroud 5
In many ways, his early miss was a turning point. Chelsea scored almost immediately afterwards. Spent the rest of the match getting offside and looking forlorn.
Substitutes
Aaron Ramsey replaced Coquelin as Arsenal’s emphasis shifted in favour of attack, and immediately offered greater urgency in midfield.
Again, though, a final product was often lacking. The much-maligned Andrey Arshavin was, if anything, too revved up, taking a couple of heavy touches after replacing Diaby.