Thierry Henry has dismissed Arsene Wenger’s claims that Hector Bellerin was fouled in the build-up to Chelsea’s opening goal against Arsenal on Saturday.
The Spanish right-back was clattered to the ground by Marcos Alonso as the Chelsea defender headed home to put the Blues 1-0 up at Stamford Bridge in the 13th minute.
Bellerin had to be substituted after suffering a knock in the challenge, before goals from Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas put the result beyond doubt in west London.
Olivier Giroud netted a late consolation for Wenger’s men but it ended up being a humiliating loss for the Gunners.
Wenger claimed in this post-match interview that Bellerin was fouled by Alonso as the Spaniard scored Chelsea’s opener.
However, Arsenal legend Henry was quick to dismiss those claims after the game.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, Henry said of Wenger’s comments: “He’s going to say that.
“If you’re a neutral, he attacked the ball like he should’ve attacked the ball.
He carries momentum, it looks bad, that’s what it is, but I think it’s a fair challenge.
“They are both looking at the ball, he jumps in the air, I think it’s a goal.
“Going back to what Arsene said, I can understand from the Arsenal corner that he’s going to say that – is that why you lost the game? I don’t think so.
“Things went your way the other game against Burnley, things are going to go your way against Everton, so, you know, things come and go.
“But the way they played today, we knew, be careful against Chelsea, you’re going to exposed on the counter if you don’t sense the counter quick enough, and that’s where I think they lost the game today.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has conceded that the Premier League title is slipping "further out of our hands", but insists that Arsenal will continue to fight until the end.
The Gunners now find themselves 12 points off the pace following Saturday's 3-1 loss to leaders Chelsea, leaving many supporters to call for manager Arsene Wenger's head.
A 13th season without top-flight silverware now appears a certainty as far as Arsenal are concerned, but midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain has urged his teammates to continue battling until it becomes mathematically impossible to overhaul Chelsea.
"It's slipped further out of our hands and there's no hiding from that now," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying.
"The gap is much bigger and it's going to be hard. But we play for Arsenal football club; if we don't go until the end, we don't deserve to be here. We've got to keep doing that.
"At the top level, against a team like Chelsea, there's a good chance they'll punish you if you make mistakes and they did that.
That was disappointing. Then a mistake at the end killed the game for us. Olivier Giroud got one back but at the end it was too late."
Arsenal, who will end the weekend fourth in the table, have now lost four of their last nine Premier League games.
Arsene Wenger has criticised referee Martin Atkinson for allowing Chelsea's first goal to stand in his side's 3-1 loss at Stamford Bridge.
Marcos Alonso opened the scoring for the Blues 13 minutes in after reacting quickest to tower over Hector Bellerin and nod the ball in from a rebound.
The Spaniard did appear to lead with his arms as he leapt and caught Bellerin in the face, leaving his compatriot groggy and needing to be replaced by Gabriel Paulista following some on-field treatment.
Wenger says that he did not have to think twice before bringing off the full-back, but believes that the officials should have spotted the infringement in the build-up to the key opener.
"The decision to take him off was very quick," he told reporters.
"You have to respect it's the head. One of the particularities of the game today is that referees are much more severe with tackles on the ground and let more go with elbows in the face.
"It is not only today. In many games I see that but it is more dangerous to hit the head. But we are maybe not good enough in possession to make our game more dangerous.
"We lost goals in positions where you cannot afford to lose it. It leaves us to focus and prepare on the next game.
It is very difficult to come out individually on players. We were not at our best in some positions."
Eden Hazard and former Gunner Cesc Fabregas went on to put Chelsea three goals ahead, before Olivier Giroud pulled one back for the visitors in added time.
Arsene Wenger has said that the return to fitness of Danny Welbeck is akin to having a new signing available to him.
The 26-year-old has spent a large chunk of the past two years sidelined with serious knee injuries, but has recently returned to action and scored his first goals in eight months to help Arsenal to a 5-0 rout of Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Theo Walcott also hit a hat-trick at St Mary's and, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Lucas Perez also at his disposal, Wenger is pleased with the attacking options in his squad.
"Yes it feels like I have many new strikers because I think Perez played very well as well and I left Giroud at home," he told reporters.
"The problem will now be to find the right combination which will use them well in games.
The result is strong with the balance of the team. When you look around you on the bench and you have this sort of player Welbeck coming on or when he starts it is somebody else.
He gives us more quality going forward.
"We look tonight and Perez and Walcott and Danny Welbeck and I have Sanchez on the bench, it is an exceptional quality.
For a long time we did not have the offensive quality available."
Arsenal host Watford on Tuesday looking for a fifth consecutive win in all competitions.
Olivier Giroud has expressed his delight at being able to score important late goals to help Arsenal remain on course in the Premier League title race.
The France international fell down the pecking order at the start of the 2016-17 Premier League season after Arsene Wenger opted to start with Alexis Sanchez in a centre-forward role this term.
However, Giroud has managed to force his way into the Arsenal manager’s first-team after a series of vital late goals against Sunderland and Manchester United on the road.
The 28-year-old centre-forward started his first Premier League game of the season when he scored a late winner in a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion before Giroud went on to find the back of the net in goals against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Preston North End and Swansea City.
Speaking to Arsenal’s website about his form in the current campaign, Giroud explained what has changed about his game this season.
“I’ve obviously improved myself since I signed for Arsenal, but I always try to be stronger [physically] and stronger in my head as well.
“It’s never easy to be injured and as I told you, to watch the game in front when you are injured and you can’t play is frustrating. That’s why I was so happy to come back on the pitch after these injuries.
“I’ve always tried to bring something to the team and I was very pleased to score important goals, especially in the final minutes.
But as I’ve said before, we need to be stronger at the beginning of the games because I’m not going to score goals in the last minute every week!”
