Arsenal Vs. Chelsea: Alex Song Sends Gunners To Halftime With 1-0 Lead

Arsenal has taken the lead over Chelsea, and for all the criticism he has faced for an excessive willingness to jump into attack, it was Alexander Song making a run from deep that ended with the Gunners' goal. Building off touches from Jack Wilshire and Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Song struck a low shot across goal from 15 yards out, beating Petr Cech to the goalkeeper's left for the match's opening goal, 44 minutes in,.

The movement started with a negative ball, played by Samir Nasri, on the left flank, back to Song, who was in the middle of the pitch, 30 yards from goal. The defensive midfielder played the ball forward and to his right, finding Jack Wilshire 22 yards from goal. Wilshire move the ball back toward the left, finding Cesc Fabregas who took a touch before seemingly pulled down in the area. Before we could see whether Mark Clattenburg would make the call, it was Song, who had trailed the play from that deep midfield position, who burst through the defense and onto the ball, putting a right-footed shot past Petr Cech.

After just over a minute of stoppage time, Arsenal takes a 1-0 lead in to halftime, building on a half where they were the slightly (of clearly) better side. The game's three best chances were Song's goal and two shots from Samir Nasri - a cheeky chip in the 40th minute that nearly found goal and a direct kick from 28 yards out that was caught by Petr Cech. While Didier Drogba has been dangerous throughout the half, Arsenal has provided more threats from more sources, with their lead coming from an unlikely scorer.