Ten-man Arsenal missed the chance to go top of the Premier League as Diego Costa's winner gave Chelsea victory at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners never fully recovered from defender Per Mertesacker's 18th-minute red card, awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg after he hauled down Costa as the striker raced clear.
The revitalised Costa scored the decisive goal five minutes later, turning in Branislav Ivanovic's cross at the near post to make it nine Premier League games without defeat for Chelsea against Arsenal.
Arsenal's potency suffered after manager Arsene Wenger decided to replace striker Olivier Giroud and introduce defender Gabriel to compensate for Mertesacker's dismissal.
Analysis: Why Wenger was wrong to take off Giroud
Victory would have put Arsenal back on top but Chelsea survived in relative comfort to leave the Gunners in third place with Leicester City now holding a three-point lead over Manchester City at the Premier League summit.
Arsenal suffer pure frustration
This was the day Arsenal were meant to lay the ghost of Chelsea, who went into this game unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against the Gunners.
Chelsea very ambitious - Guus Hiddink
Even Wenger's bogey man, Jose Mourinho, was out of the picture after his sacking. Wenger has lost five and drawn six of eleven league meetings with his old adversary.
And yet it was the same old story for Arsenal as the frustration of their players and fans inside the Emirates reached boiling point long before the final whistle.
There was no shortage of spirit and endeavour from Arsenal in the face of the numerical disadvantage inflicted on them after Mertesacker's early red card.
If anything, it was inspiration and a little self-belief Arsenal lacked against a side that looked physically stronger in a game where Wenger's side was missing a warrior who could get in and among the visitors in those exchanges.
Their best effort of the match fell to Mathieu Flamini who attempted to convert Aaron Ramsey's through-ball with a kung-fu kick, where a header might have been more appropriate.
The result is hardly a terminal blow to Arsenal's ambitions but a wound inflicted in familiar fashion. It now remains to be seen how much of an after-effect there is.
Costa revival sparks Chelsea
Branislav Ivanovic's pinpoint cross was converted by Diego Costa
Diego Costa suffered the abuse of Chelsea's fans in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho's sacking as they regarded his poor form and attitude as a key factor in the sacking of "The Special One".
The relationship is repaired now, with Costa regaining that mixture of marksmanship and menace that made him so significant in last season's Premier League title win.
Costa's near-post finish from Ivanovic's delivery was his sixth in eight games since Mourinho left - and it was not just that quality that helped Chelsea look much more like their old selves.
He got under the skin of Arsenal's players and fans, although he could hardly be blamed for his involvement in Mertesacker's red card when he was unceremoniously bundled over as he tried to race clear.
Costa departed to the resounding jeers of Arsenal's fans and cheers of Chelsea's supporters when he was replaced by Loic Remy after 68 minutes - job done and proof Hiddink's side are so much more effective when the Premier League's pantomime villain is on song.
Sanchez key to Arsenal title hopes
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea: Red card was very harsh - Arsene Wenger
Having talked about the lack of warriors in Arsenal's line-up, one look at Alexis Sanchez back in action shows how he can fit the bill.
The huge roar that swirled around the Emirates when he emerged after 57 minutes to replace Joel Campbell was not simply out of a growing desperation as Arsenal struggled against Chelsea - it was a signal that so much of the rest of the Gunners' season rests on the shoulders of the world-class Chilean.
It was his first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury at Norwich City on 29 November and it was understandable he looked a little rusty, but the strength, perseverance and sheer force of will to influence a game were still in evidence in this cameo.
This was a major setback for Arsenal's title hopes - but the return of Sanchez confirms all is not lost if they keep him fit.
Man of the match - Willian (Chelsea)
The Brazilian, arguably Chelsea's best player of the season so far, put in another good shift in midfield
The stats you need to know
- Arsenal have now gone nine hours and 32 minutes without a Premier League goal against Chelsea
- Chelsea are unbeaten in nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal (W6 D3)
- Costa has scored six goals in six games under Guus Hiddink (all competitions)
- Chelsea have won back-to-back Premier League away games for the first time this season
- The Blues are on the current longest unbeaten run in the Premier League (W3 D4)
- The Gunners have failed to score in consecutive league games for the first time since August 2012
What next?
The Gunners are at home to Burnley in the FA Cup next weekend, and the Blues are away at the MK Dons in the same competition.
Lineup, Bookings (5) & Substitutions (5)
Arsenal
- 33 Cech
- 24 Bellerín
- 04 Mertesacker Dismissed
- 06 Koscielny
- 18 Monreal
- 20 Flamini Booked
- 16 Ramsey
- 28 Campbell (Sánchez - 57' )
- 11 Özil
- 14 Walcott (Oxlade-Chamberlain - 75' )
- 12 Giroud (Gabriel - 22' )
Substitutes
- 03 Gibbs
- 05 Gabriel
- 13 Ospina
- 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 17 Sánchez
- 21 Chambers
- 35 Elneny
Chelsea
- 13 Courtois
- 02 Ivanovic
- 05 Zouma
- 26 Terry
- 28 Azpilicueta
- 12 Mikel Booked
- 21 Matic Booked
- 22 Willian
- 04 Fàbregas
- 08 Oscar Booked (Hazard - 77' )
- 19 Diego Costa (Remy - 68' )
Substitutes
- 01 Begovic
- 06 Baba
- 10 Hazard
- 14 Traore
- 18 Remy
- 24 Cahill
- 36 Loftus-Cheek
Match Stats
Live Text Commentary
Full Time Match ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1.
90:00 +5:12 Full timeFull Time Second Half ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1.
90:00 +3:50Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Kurt Zouma.
90:00 +3:00Attempt missed. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Eden Hazard.
90:00 +0:39Hand ball by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
89:35Offside, Chelsea. Nemanja Matic tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside.
86:07Attempt saved. Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
86:06Attempt missed. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Héctor Bellerín with a cross.
83:56Foul by Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
83:56Mesut Özil (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
83:32Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
82:33Foul by Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
82:33Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
81:17Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
81:17Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
78:12Offside, Chelsea. César Azpilicueta tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside.
77:00Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
76:03 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Chelsea. Eden Hazard replaces Oscar.
74:57Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
74:57Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
Offside, Chelsea. John Obi Mikel tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside.
74:04 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Arsenal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Theo Walcott.
71:26 BookingBooking John Obi Mikel (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
71:21Foul by John Obi Mikel (Chelsea).
71:21Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
69:23Attempt saved. Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Oscar.
68:00 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Chelsea. Loïc Remy replaces Diego Costa because of an injury.
67:59Delay over. They are ready to continue.
67:07Delay in match Diego Costa (Chelsea) because of an injury.
66:02Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
65:26Foul by John Obi Mikel (Chelsea).
65:26Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
63:42Diego Costa (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
63:42Foul by Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal).
62:50Attempt blocked. Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Theo Walcott.
62:47Attempt missed. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Laurent Koscielny following a set piece situation.
62:09Foul by Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea).
62:09Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the left wing.
59:34 BookingBooking Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
59:32Foul by Nemanja Matic (Chelsea).
59:32Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
58:06Willian (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
58:06Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
57:32Foul by Nemanja Matic (Chelsea).
57:32Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
56:37Offside, Chelsea. César Azpilicueta tries a through ball, but Diego Costa is caught offside.
56:18 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Arsenal. Alexis Sánchez replaces Joel Campbell.
55:11Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Aaron Ramsey.
54:59Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Mathieu Flamini.
54:55Attempt blocked. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Cesc Fàbregas with a cross.
54:38Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Joel Campbell.
53:51Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Héctor Bellerín.
51:40Foul by Willian (Chelsea).
51:40Theo Walcott (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
49:11Offside, Chelsea. Nemanja Matic tries a through ball, but Diego Costa is caught offside.
48:36Offside, Chelsea. Oscar tries a through ball, but Diego Costa is caught offside.
47:18Foul by Diego Costa (Chelsea).
47:18Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
46:11Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Laurent Koscielny.
46:10Attempt blocked. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
45:35Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.
45:35Foul by Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal).
45:00Second Half begins Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1.
45:00 +1:11 Half timeHalf Time First Half ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1.
45:00 +0:57Attempt missed. Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Aaron Ramsey with a through ball.
44:10 BookingBooking Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card.
43:57Willian (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
43:57Foul by Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal).
42:49Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
42:49Foul by Joel Campbell (Arsenal).
42:10Attempt blocked. Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Willian with a cross.
41:44Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Petr Cech.
41:42Attempt saved. Diego Costa (Chelsea) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Willian.
40:55Foul by Willian (Chelsea).
40:55Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
37:15Foul by Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal).
37:15Diego Costa (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
35:05Attempt missed. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Mesut Özil.
33:56Offside, Arsenal. Nacho Monreal tries a through ball, but Theo Walcott is caught offside.
33:24Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Branislav Ivanovic.
31:34Attempt blocked. Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by César Azpilicueta.
27:59Attempt missed. Diego Costa (Chelsea) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left misses to the left.
26:22Hand ball by Diego Costa (Chelsea).
24:25Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Branislav Ivanovic.
23:27Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
23:27Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
22:15 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1. Diego Costa (Chelsea) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Branislav Ivanovic with a cross.
21:20 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Arsenal. Gabriel Paulista replaces Olivier Giroud.
20:43Joel Campbell (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
20:43Foul by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
20:21Foul by Olivier Giroud (Arsenal).
20:21John Obi Mikel (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
19:01Offside, Chelsea. Willian tries a through ball, but Kurt Zouma is caught offside.
17:53 DismissalDismissal Per Mertesacker (Arsenal) is shown the red card.
17:45Foul by Per Mertesacker (Arsenal).
17:45Diego Costa (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
15:26Attempt missed. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Theo Walcott.
14:13Attempt saved. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
14:11Attempt missed. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
10:10 BookingBooking Oscar (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
10:05Joel Campbell (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
10:05Foul by Oscar (Chelsea).
9:11Attempt missed. Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Joel Campbell.
6:11Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
6:11Oscar (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
3:12Foul by Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal).
3:12César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
1:51Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Petr Cech.
1:49Attempt saved. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
1:19Attempt missed. Joel Campbell (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Theo Walcott.
0:00First Half begins.
0:00Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
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