The stage was set for a London derby on Sunday, as the Chelsea Blues were ready to take on the Arsenal Gunners. These two rivals call London their home and the winner of this game would have bragging rights to all of London.

Coming into this game, Chelsea had won five of its last six games while Arsenal entered the derby with three wins, two draws and a loss. Chelsea was the heavily favored side because they are the defending English Premier League champions, and with players Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole, the fans of the Blues expect nothing less this year than another Premier League trophy.

Arsenal, on the other hand, has not captured the Premier League title since the 2003-04 season, when ‘The Invincibles’ had an undefeated season. And their captain, Cesc Fabregas, was missing in action because of an injury suffered during Arsenal’s Sept. 18 match against Sunderland.

The first half began with Arsenal pushing the ball upfield and really making Chelsea work for its money. But Chelsea’s offense, given the opportunity, clawed the ball away from Arsenal and superstar Didier Drogba fired one in the back of the net in the 39th minute to give Chelsea a 1-0 advantage. Drogba has had a fantastic record against Arsenal, tallying 13 goals in 11 matches. After the match, Drogba joked that there will be a time when he won’t be able to score a goal. Fans are hoping that time won’t come for a while.

Both sides fought hard for possession, but after the second half, it seemed like Chelsea had the upper hand. They had more shots on goal and they forced the Gunners’ goalkeeper, Manuel Almunia, to be on his toes for most of the game. Arsenal had some good chances but failed to finish, usually going just wide of the goal post.

With 15 minutes of regulation time left, Brazilian defender Alex took advantage of a Chelsea free kick as he carved a beautiful shot from 30 yards into the top right corner. He left the field at stoppage time due to a thigh injury, but the goal secured the team’s 2-0 lead and the eventual win against Arsenal.

‘We dominated this game quite surprisingly in my opinion ‘ but we go home with zero points,’ said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was clearly disappointed as he told reporters of mishaps and missed game-changing opportunities.

This marked the fourth-straight time that Chelsea has beaten Arsenal. This win also widened the gap between Manchester City (the only team Chelsea has lost to) and Chelsea to four points ‘ 14 points and 18 points respectively in the English Premier League. Next up for Arsenal is Birmingham, which has won only one game so far, so it should be an easy game for the Gunners. Chelsea will play Aston Villa, who they showed no mercy to when they last met in March. Chelsea won that game 7-1.

Both teams are solid, but what Arsenal really needs right now is their captain back. Fabregas needs to channel this team’s energy in a more effective way. They have the players and the skill to make an impact in the EPL, and it’s still early in the season, but if they don’t pick up the pace, they might find it difficult to crawl out from the deep hole they have dug themselves into.

Chelsea has been doing great ‘ in the last five games, they have scored 11 goals and have not allowed their opponents to score in three of the five games. They should win all of their remaining games for 2010, but December might be a tough month. They will be going against tough foes like Tottenham and Manchester United. It will be interesting to see if this team can continue their winning ways in the coming months.