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Chelsea took a 1-0 lead in to half-time courtesy of an Eden Hazard penalty having been felled by Laurent Koscielny, but the best action of the half was to be seen on the sidelines.
After a 15 minute delay to kick-off was reportedly caused by the away fans letting off flares, the match began with Chelsea on the front foot. However, a nasty clash involving Alexis Sanchez and Thibault Courtois left the Blues goalkeeper looking out-cold on the ground, and despite having treatement and resuming play, he was later forced off through injury. Petr Cech came on, but the action was only just starting to heat up.
After a nasty tackle from Gary Cahill on Sanchez, Jose Mourinho burst from his seat, only to be confronted by his old foe Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman firmly pushed Mourinho in the chest before referee Martin Atkinson and fourth official Jonathan Moss split the pair and gave them clear warning.
Chelsea v Arsenal: Will Arsene Wenger finally get his first victory over Jose Mourinho?
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The game was lit up when Hazard picked up the ball midway through the first half. The Belgian spun on the spot, saw off the challenge of Santi Cazorla and jack Wilshere before Koscielny brought him down. While the defender was lucky to escape with a yellow, Hazard dusted himself off to convert the spot kick and give the blues the lead.
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