LONDON — 1354 GMT: AFP IS NOW CLOSING THIS LIVE REPORT after Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea captain John Terry had to endure taunts from Arsenal fans after this week's FA verdict but he had the last laugh as the Blues secured their first win at the Emirates Stadium since November 2009.
The Blues took a well-deserved lead in the 20th minute when Torres produced an instinctive close-range volley.
Arsenal took a while to get into this match before Gervinho thumped a blistering equaliser just before the interval, but Chelsea snatched all three points when the Gunners failed to deal with Mata's free-kick and Koscielny diverted the ball into his own net. 1346 GMT: The match stats show that Arsenal had 14 chances on goal while Chelsea had eight, but they will rue the missed chance by Giroud which would have given them a last-gasp equaliser.
1339 GMT: Arsenal slump to their first defeat of the season, and Wenger can point to fine performances by Gervinho and Cazorla when he picks over the bones of this match.
Chelsea remain perched at the top of the table after five wins from six games, but perhaps more importantly they are now four points clear of their nearest rivals Manchester United who will be playing Tottenham Hotspur later tonight.
FULL TIME: Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2.
Huge cheers from the Blues fans as the referee blows his whistle.
90 + 1 mins: Giroud nearly grabs a late equaliser as he races onto a beautifully weighted diagonal ball but loses his balance and smashes the ball into the side netting. It was a tight angle but from 10 yards out he should have hit the target...
90 mins: There will be four minutes of added time...
88 mins: Arsenal have a few minutes to rescue this match but keep resorting to long-range efforts, this time by Cazorla.
84 mins: Chelsea look like they are battening down the hatches as Mata is replaced by the more defensive Betrand.
83 mins: Arsenal win a free-kick and nearly snatch a late equaliser as Koscielny's header bounces off the woodwork. Cech was beaten all-ends-up there by the delivery of the cross.
80 mins: Luiz is clearly struggling with an injury and limps off to be replaced by Cahill
77 mins: Gibbs thinks he can smell an equaliser and charges forward, but the Arsenal defender shows the 60,000 fans why he is a defender by lashing his shot into row Z
75 mins: Moses tries to make an immediate impact but his long-range header doesn't trouble Mannone in the Arsenal goalmouth.
73 mins: Di Matteo clearly thinks he can see a chink in the Arsenal rearguard and Oscar goes off, to be replaced by Moses.
72 mins: Arsenal nearly steal an equaliser as Giroud finds a yard of space and his shot ricochets off Luiz and is creeping into the roof of the net before Cech pushes out his arm to divert the ball over the bar. Great reaction save from Cech
69 mins: Apart from a shaky 15 minutes at the end of the first half, the Chelsea defence has been quite robust and Cole has finally got to grips with Oxlade-Chamberlain
67 mins: Wenger clearly thinks his side needs an injection of pace and Ramsey trudges off the pitch to be replaced by the turbo-charged Walcott. Wenger also rolls the dice and the disappointing Podolski is replaced by Giroud.
64 mins: Mata launches another raid on the Arsenal defence, before Gibbs marshals the ball to safety. Its end-to-end stuff at the Emirates as both sides chase another goal.
62 mins: Arsenal win a free-kick on the edge of the area as Jenkinson falls over Cole's outstretched leg, but the Gunners fail to trouble Cech.
59 mins: Fantastic fingertip save from Cech, as he palms away Podolski's looping header which is heading into the net.
57 mins: The match stats show that Arsenal have enjoyed 65% of possession, but its Chelsea who are currently in the driving seat. Is it time for Wenger to make another substitution? Who should he bring on?
54 mins: GOAL! Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
After a lengthy delay, Mata curls a beautifully inviting ball into the heart of the Arsenal penalty area and Koscielny cannot help but glance the ball past his own keeper. The ball was heading goalbound but was that an own goal?
52 mins: YELLOW CARD. Its turning into a prickly encounter as Vermaelen clatters into the side of Torres.
49 mins: Great chance for Arsenal and Podolsky shows his marker a clean pair of heels before crossing the ball back for the fast-charging Gervinho, but Cole clears the decks by booting the ball out of play.
47 mins: YELLOW CARD. Luiz charges forward and screams for a penalty after collapsing under the weight of a feeble challenge from Gervinho. Cheers of approval from the home fans as the referee waves away his appeal and instead books the shaggy-haired defender for diving.
46 mins: Arsenal get the second half under way and immediately go for the jugular, but Podolsky -- who has had a quiet match so far -- cannot control the ball and Luiz snuffs out the danger.
1245 GMT: Arsenal really struggled to get a foothold in this match for the first half-hour but sprung into life once Oxlade-Chamberlain started firing on all cylinders down the right flank.
The England winger delighted Arsenal fans by tormenting their bete noire Ashley Cole, before feeding the ball to Gervinho who scored a fantastic equaliser.
45 + 3 mins: The referee blows his whistle and the players slope off the pitch for a much needed rest.
45 mins: The fourth official signals there will be three minutes of added time, Chelsea are on their knees and need to regroup.
43 mins: Chelsea are on the ropes as Arsenal have gained the ascendency over the past five minutes. Di Matteo will have to re-energize his team at half-time as their heads have fallen following Gervinho's fabulous strike.
42 mins:GOAL! Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1
Arsenal find some room down the right wing and Oxlade-Chamberlain crosses for Gervinho, who swivels clear of Terry before drilling the ball into the roof of the net. Great piece of skill from the Ivorian striker.
39 mins: YELLOW CARD. Oscar is booked as he upends Ramsey to break up an Arsenal counter-attack.
37 mins: Great piece of skill from Hazard, who races to the edge of the area, before shimmying past his marker and lobbing a delicious cross into the path of Luiz but Koscielny snuffs out the danger.
35 mins: YELLOW CARD. The first booking of the match as Ramsey's name goes into the book for a clumsy tackle on Oscar. The referee races over and doesn't hesitate before waving a card at the Welsh midfielder.
33 mins: Vermaelen spots that Cech is off his line and tries a speculative effort from close to the half-way line. Wenger looks disgusted...
30 mins: Chelsea fans are on their feet celebrating as Torres fires the ball into the net, but the linesman has flagged for offside. Lucky escape there for Arsenal.
28 mins: Arsenal spring into life and Gervinho heads the ball across the face of the goal, but Terry calmly chests the ball back towards his goalie. Cool play there from Terry who looks like he is enjoying this encounter.
24 mins: Arsene Wenger is on the sideline waving his arms madly (in what looks like a Xmas game of charades) as he urges his defence to regroup and not allow Torres so much time on the ball.
22 mins: Torres nearly doubles the lead as he sprints clear of his marker but loses possession as he tries to round the goalie. Chelsea fans were screaming for him to shoot, but he took one too many touches and Mannone clears the danger.
20 mins: GOAL! Arsenal 0 Chelsea 1
Chelsea earn a free kick on the edge of the area after Vermaelen clatters into Torres. Mata arcs the free-kick towards the back post where Torres climbs over Koscielny before hooking the ball past Mannone for his third league goal of the season.
Great link-up from the Spanish internationals for that goal, but Wenger is fuming on the sideline as his defence went AWOL.
17 mins: Arsenal are forced to make an early substitution as Diaby is replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain
15 mins: Diaby is limping across the pitch and signals to the Arsenal bench that he might need to come off.
13 mins: Arsenal have created the best chances but Di Matteo will be happy that his side have adapted well to the bear-pit atmosphere inside the Emirates.
10 mins: First real chance of the match as Gervinho wriggles clear of his marker before cutting the ball back for Cazorla on the edge of the area, but the tiny Spaniard lashes his shot straight at Cech. It has been a cagey start to the match but Cazorla should have done better with that chance.
8 mins: Terry isnt letting the boo-boys unsettle him as he snuffs out an attack with a thumping tackle on Gervinho.
6 mins: Hazard draws gasps of approval from the Chelsea fans with a nifty backheel that nearly prises open the Arsenal rearguard. Lovely play from the Belgian.
4 mins: Chelsea have gone more than 331 minutes without conceding a league goal and their defence looks water-tight as they repel an Arsenal raid and Ramsey is forced to take a long range shot which doesn't trouble Cech.
1 min: Chelsea regain possession and Hazard quickly draws a foul 35 yards from goal. Luiz brushes his teammates aside before firing a tame shot straight at Mannone.
KICK-OFF: Chelsea wearing their traditional blue strip get the match under way but immediately boot the ball into touch
1140 GMT: Arsenal have the best defensive record so far this year, and Wenger will hope that Vermaelen -- who is recalled to the side after missing the side's last match with a virus -- can contain Torres, Mata and Hazard.
1137 GMT: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will no doubt be breathing a huge sigh of relief that Chelsea can no longer call upon Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, who terrorised his defence by scoring 13 goals in as many matches.
Drogba is now plying his trade in China and Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo tells Sky Sports that the Blues are now trying to change their style of play.
"We have some good attacking options but also balance in the team. It's a bit different from previous years. We are in the process of changing the way we want to play," he says.
1135 GMT: The teams are on the pitch, which signals it is time to issue the line-ups: -
Arsenal: Mannone; Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Arteta, Diaby; Ramsey, Cazorla, Podolski; Gervinho.
Subs: Mertesacker, Santos, Giroud, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Djourou, Martinez.
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Romeu, Lampard, Moses, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Bertrand.
1125 GMT: WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on the top-of-the-table English Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The match is due to start shortly at 1245pm (1145 GMT) and the build-up to the game has been overshadowed by the fall-out from Blues captain John Terry being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a league match last year.
Terry has been punished with a four-game ban and £220,000 fine, suspended pending the outcome of an appeal process that leaves the stalwart defender free to face the Gunners.
The rugged defender has been punished with a four-game ban and £220,000 fine, suspended pending the outcome of an appeal process that leaves the central defender free to face the Gunners.
Terry has 14 days from receiving the written reasons for the decision to lodge an appeal against a decision relating to an incident that took place during Chelsea's match away to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 last year.
The ban -- which comes after the 31-year-old former England captain was acquitted of criminal charges relating to the same incident in July -- will not come into force until the appeals procedure is complete.
That means central defender Terry, who played in the 6-0 English League Cup rout of Wolves on Tuesday, is available for Chelsea's trip to Arsenal.
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