Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1: Arsene Wenger left frustrated by key decisions

Arsene Wenger felt Chelsea were the benefactors of incorrect decisions by referee Martin Atkinson after watching his Arsenal side slump to their second straight league defeat.

Arsenal were furious after Atkinson waved play-on when Ramires appeared to foul Francis Coquelin in the build-up to Juan Mata’s sixth-minute opener at Stamford Bridge.

And Wenger also felt the Blues were fortunate to be awarded a penalty after Wojciech Szczesny clashed with Ramires in the box, with Frank Lampard slotting home the resulting spot-kick to put the home side 2-0 up.

Theo Walcott halved the deficit after the break with a cool finish but the visitors were unable to conjure a late equaliser in west London.

And Wenger was unhappy with the key decisions that led to Chelsea’s two-goal cushion.

“I thought Francis Coquelin was injured for the first [goal], and I’m not convinced at all that it was a penalty on the second goal,” Wenger told BBC Sport.

“From what I’ve heard it wasn’t at all. From the bench I did not see it well, but I’ve been told from people who have seen it on television that it was not a penalty.”

Arsenal were slow out of the blocks and Wenger, whose side remain in sixth place and six points behind the Champions League spots, admitted the north Londoners failed to really click into gear in the first half.

“The first half we didn’t play at our usual pace and couldn’t be sure whether to attack or defend,” he conceded. “We gave them too much room in which to play.

“We made some changes at half-time and came out with a different attitude with much more initiative. We had Chelsea on the back foot but could not get it back to 2-2.

“We didn’t make enough of our corners and free-kicks.”