Wenger: 'It's not a fair result - it all went for them'

Wenger feels big decisions went against his team (GETTY IMAGES)

Before the contest Arsène Wenger had predicted this would be the game when his young side realise their true potential. However after seeing them blown off the pitch by Chelsea's powerhouse display, he stubbornly refused to accept that Arsenal had been outplayed by a team they now trail by 11 points.

The Arsenal manager belittled the performance of Chelsea and their matchwinner Didier Drogba, described the scoreline as "very unfair" and claimed his side had been robbed of a perfectly good goal, when TV replays clearly showed Eduardo's boot at head height.

Wenger said: "The score is a very unfair reflection of the game, but it is the score. We cannot change it now. Absolutely everything went for them [Chelsea]. The first shot on goal, they scored. They played with 60 per cent of their men behind the ball. They're in a very strong position. But this team, for me, can still drop points. I'm convinced of that."

The Arsenal manager was particularly upset at a decision by referee Andre Marriner to strike out a goal from Andrei Arshavin in the 48th minute, when the scoreline read 2-0, after a close range finish from Drogba and an own goal from Thomas Vermaelen. Marriner decided that Eduardo's boot was too high in a challenge on Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech before Arshavin fired the ball into the net.

Wenger said: "Then there was the turning point from the referee which I personally believe wasn't a serious decision. How can he see Eduardo kicking the ball out of Cech's hands when there was a Chelsea player in front of him? I believe he made a massive mistake at a very important moment of the game."

Wenger dismissed the contribution of Drogba, who rounded off the scoring with a wonderful free kick four minutes from time. The Arsenal manager claimed Drogba's first goal, a deft finish from a cross by Ashley Cole, was a fluke.

"He [Drogba] is a good player," Wenger said. "It's funny because he doesn't do a lot, but he's efficient in what he does. You would be surprised by the number of balls he touched today. Drogba is in a period where he kicks the ball and it goes in. You can't tell me he meant to score the first goal. At the moment, he's complete in confidence. He just goes for it and it goes in."

Carlo Ancelotti saw his side complete a hat-trick of victories over title rivals Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, without conceding a goal. He admitted he could understand Wenger's reaction, saying: "They are upset because they lost."

Ancelotti disagreed with Wenger's analysis that Chelsea had been negative. The Italian said: "I think that if you win 3-0 at Arsenal you have to do a good job. In the defensive positions we did a fantastic job. All the players worked for the team and to keep the ball in our midfield. I think that we won the game there.

"It's true that Arsenal kept the ball in the first half, but we didn't concede opportunities and, when we had the possibility to counter-attack, we did that very well and scored at the end of the first half. Two goals. In the second half we kept good control of the game."

Ancelotti said Chelsea now have to guard against complacency as they build up a lead at the top of the Premier League. "We know very well our possibilities," he said. "We can win every game but, also, if we don't have concentration and determination, we can lose every game. We started the season believing that we could win. When I signed a contract with Chelsea, I believed we'd win something."

Chelsea captain John Terry claimed the team remain determined to stay in front until the end of the season. Terry said: "We've been there before and thrown it away, so we need to regroup and stay together. But everyone's fighting for each other, throwing their bodies in and working so hard, and fighting for it."