Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what is a huge London derby as the only two teams yet to taste defeat in the Premier League this season go head to head at Stamford Bridge. Both Chelsea and Arsenal will be desperate to keep up their decent starts to the campaign and get an early advantage over one of their expected rivals in the title race. We should have a cracking game of football ahead of us, with kickoff in just over an hour. Let's start with a look at the hosts...

Jose Mourinho's side entered the season as favourites to win the Premier League title, and so far they have done nothing to suggest otherwise. They look almost unstoppable at the moment and have dropped just two points from their opening six league matches. Those came away to champions Manchester City as well, and Chelsea will not face too many tougher tests than they did at the Etihad. Even so, they probably should have even won that match as well having been in the lead and had a man extra following Zabaleta's red card.

Even so, 16 points from their first six matches is a very good return, and they already hold a decent lead over a number of their title rivals. Victory this afternoon would see them move nine points clear of the Gunners and Liverpool as well as five clear of City. It is still very early days, of course, but the form Chelsea are in right now, those nine-point gaps in particular may well prove to be unassailable.

They come into today's match on the back of three straight wins in all competitions, the most recent of which saw them beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League. They were worthy winners in Portugal, but they may have been disappointed at only triumphing by a one-goal margin. They missed a host of glorious chances in that match and could have comfortably won by four or five on the night. Their last league outing also saw them ease to victory, beating Aston Villa 3-0.

That lack of a killer touch in the final third that they showed against Sporting is not a problem that they have had so far in the lead. They are comfortably the division's top scorers having netted 19 times already, and they still have a game in hand over most of the league. It took them 12 games to reach that tally last season, but it has taken them just half of that this time around. At the same stage of the 2013-14 campaign, the Blues had just seven goals to their name.

It has been something of a role reversal for Chelsea this season, with the attack in good form and the defence looking more shaky than usual. They have conceded seven times in their opening six matches but, while that is not exactly a formidable record, it is one that only Southampton can better in the Premier League right now. Things do seem to be improving for the Blues in that respect too as they have kept clean sheets in their last two games having only managed one in their first seven outings.

They tend to keep the opposition at bay here at Stamford Bridge too. They have kept nine clean sheets in their last 11 home league games now, helping them to a 100% home record in the league this season. Only Schalke have come away with anything from Stamford Bridge in the current campaign, and it has been well documented how impressive Jose Mourinho is at home in the league. Very few teams will take points off the Blues in front of their own fans this season, so if Arsenal can come away with anything today then it would be a good result.

This is Chelsea's third match in the space of nine days, but while many teams struggle in domestic action following European exploits, Chelsea tend to thrive. It has been 13 months since they lost a league game immediately following a European one, so Mourinho won't be too worried about his side's trip to Portugal in midweek.

Another thing Mourinho won't be too worried about is coming up against Arsene Wenger again. The Frenchman has achieved a lot during his time with Arsenal, but he has never got the better of a side managed by Mourinho. The pair have clashed 11 times on the sidelines, with Mourinho's teams winning six and five ending all square. Wenger celebrated 18 years in charge of the Gunners during the week, and it would cap off an impressive anniversary if he was to finally break his Mourinho hoodoo today.

That 18-year anniversary was marked in style on Wednesday as the Gunners cruised to a 4-1 victory over an admittedly poor Galatasaray outfit in the Champions League. Wenger will be expecting a much sterner test this afternoon, but his side will certainly not be short of confidence coming into the game. Their last league outing saw them held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby at the Emirates, and that is a match that Arsenal may think they should have won given the chances they created.

Winning games has been an issue for the Gunners so far this season, though. They have picked up maximum points on just two occasions in the league and, while they are yet to lose a game, they have dropped plenty of points in draws. No fewer than four of their last five Premier League outings have ended with a share of the spoils, while they also needed a late goal to overcome Crystal Palace on the opening day. Even their 3-0 win over Villa was not quite as convincing as the scoreline suggests, with all three goals coming in a freak first-half flurry.

That win over Villa was the Gunners' first and so far only away victory of the current campaign having drawn three and lost one of their opening four matches on their travels in all competitions. They are, however, unbeaten on the road in the Premier League since the beginning of April, when they fell to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the hands of Everton at Goodison Park.

That defeat on Merseyside remains Arsenal's only loss in their last 14 matches however, a run that began after they were humiliated on their last visit to Stamford Bridge. A repeat of that is highly unlikely this afternoon given Arsenal's improvement since then, but the Gunners are certainly the underdogs going into this match today. Chelsea have scored in every match this season, while Arsenal have kept just one clean sheet in the league so far, so it would be a surprise if they are able to keep the Blues at bay this afternoon.

Even so, a drastic improvement is needed for Arsenal in their away matches against fellow title rivals. Last season, a whopping 17 of their 41 goals conceded came in the three matches away to other teams in the top four. They have also won just one and lost 16 of their last 20 away games against teams that finished in the top five over the last five seasons - a record that is simply not good enough if they harbour any hopes of challenging for the title.

Arsenal's defence, like Chelsea's has not exactly been watertight so far this season, with the Gunners also conceding seven times in their opening five games. Interestingly, five of those goals have come in the first half, forcing Arsene Wenger's side to often chase a game. They have already been forced to come from behind on four occasions this season, and teams like Chelsea don't often throw away leads so the first goal could be crucial in this one.

TEAM NEWS: Right, the teams are in for both sides, and as expected it is Costa who leads the line for the hosts. Fabregas is included against his former club as Mourinho makes just the one change from the midweek win over Sporting, replacing Filipe Luis with Cesar Azpilicueta. Wenger also makes a solitary change as Wilshere comes in for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Full team news coming right up...

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Costa

CHELSEA SUBS: Cech, Zouma, Filipe Luis, Mikel, Willian, Salah, Remy

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Szczesny; Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Wilshere, Flamini; Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis; Welbeck

ARSENAL SUBS: Martinez, Monreal, Coquelin, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Campbell, Podolski

So, what can we make of those two teams? Well, Diego Costa importance to the team is once again highlighted by his starting role despite ongoing concerns over his fitness. The summer signing has made a flying start to his Chelsea career with eight goals in his first six games - a tally that becomes even more impressive when you consider it took Fernando Torres 48 games to reach the same figure for the club. Chelsea have the best chance conversion ratio in the league, and a lot of that is down to Costa's lethal finishing so far. He will again be a handful today.

Chelsea carry a goal threat throughout the team, though, and the trio behind Costa are more than capable of weighing in with their fair share. Hazard has been in good form in general this season, although Mourinho wasn't too happy with his performance in the win over Aston Villa last weekend. Oscar has also started to find the goal trail, while Schurrle has been up and down in the current campaign and will have something of a point to prove today with the likes of Willian and Salah providing competition from the bench.

Costa has stolen most of the headlines so far this season, but Cesc Fabregas has been equally impressive so far. No player in the top five European divisions can better his tally of six assists in the league so far, and his £30m fee already looks like a bargain. There was, of course, plenty of speculation linking him with a return to Arsenal, but he will line up against his former club in the blue of Chelsea this afternoon, and Wenger has asked the travelling fans to give him the reception he deserves. Alongside him in the middle of the park is Matic, who was magnificent in midweek and scored the only goal of the game.

Defensively, Chelsea are usually so sound, but as I mentioned earlier, that hasn't been the case as much this season. You sense that Cahill and Terry are starting to settle with a new keeper behind them, though, while Ivanovic has been in superb form all season. The Blues defence is a threat going forward as well and are a big reason why Chelsea have had nine different scorers already this term - more than any other Premier League side.

Like Chelsea and Costa, Arsenal also made headlines by signing a striker in the summer, and the £16m purchase of Danny Welbeck is proving to be a shrewd one from Wenger. The England international scored a hat-trick in the midweek win over Galatasaray, a performance so impressive that some Arsenal fans began to compare him to club legend Thierry Henry. While such comparisons are very premature right now, Welbeck has netted six times in his last six games for club and country so comes into this match in good form.

Another big-money signing during the summer was Alexis Sanchez, who has really begun to find form after a relatively slow start to his Arsenal career. The Chilean is one of the most dangerous players in the league when on form, and he returns to the starting lineup today having been left on the bench at the start of the North London derby last weekend. Ozil, meanwhile, has blown hot and cold this season and will need to be at his best to get any joy against a strong Chelsea side today.

Further back, Flamini will have a big role to play this afternoon as the Gunners look to prevent Fabregas from pulling the strings. Wenger will know as well as anyone how dangerous the Spaniard can be if he is given time and space to operate, so the combative duo of Wilshere and Flamini will look to limit that. They also have Hazard, Schurrle and Oscar to worry about, though, so it certainly won't be an easy afternoon for them.

At the back, Mertesacker and Koscielny have the unenviable task of coming up against the in-form Costa. Only Kompany and Mangala have really prevented the striker from affecting a game so far, so it will be interesting to see how the Arsenal pairing cope today. Chambers once again slots in at right-back following a bright start to his Arsenal career, while Gibbs continues at left-back despite the return to fitness of Monreal, who starts on the bench.

Revenge must surely be on the minds of some of these Arsenal players following the 6-0 drubbing they received at the hands of Chelsea in the corresponding fixture last season. That result was the Gunners' biggest ever defeat to the Blues, while it was only the second time in Premier League history that they have lost a match by a six-goal margin. The other, Arsenal fans won't thank me for reminding them, came when they were hammered 8-2 by Manchester United.

Recent history is very much with Chelsea in this fixture - they have not lost any of their last six meetings with the Gunners in all competitions, winning four and drawing two. Incidentally, that 6-0 defeat was Arsene Wenger's 1000th match in charge of the club, and he will be hoping that his side don't mark his 18-year milestone in similar fashion.

PREDICTION: We're just under 10 minutes from kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is an intriguing one given that both sides are yet to lose this season, but I simply can't see Arsenal coming away with anything today. Chelsea just look too strong at the moment and, while I don't think it will be anything like last season's remarkable match, I can see the hosts running out fairly comfortable winners. I'll go for a 2-0 win to Chelsea.

The Gunners have not kept a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge in their last nine visits, while their last victory away to Chelsea came three years ago. Robin van Persie was the difference on that occasion as he scored three times to help Arsenal to a thrilling 5-3 victory over their London rivals.

The good news for Arsenal fans, though, is that they have won against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge more times than any other team in Premier League history. They have come away with maximum points on seven occasions in the Premier League era, and no team has beaten the Blues in their own back yard more often than that.

There is another match kicking off at the same time as this one, and it is Arsenal's North London rivals Tottenham who are in action. The match will also have implications for Chelsea as Southampton are the team travelling to White Hart Lane, and the Saints would move level on points with Chelsea if they win and the Blues lose. You can follow live coverage of that match here, while I will also be keeping you up to date with major events as and when they happen. Elsewhere today, Manchester United have just edged to a 2-1 victory over Everton.

BREAKING NEWS:: Some breaking news for you regarding this game - kickoff has been delayed for 15 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

The major difference between these two sides came in the big games. Chelsea picked up 19 points against the top five last season, dropping just five points in those matches, while Arsenal managed a meagre six points. The Gunners simply must improve on occasions like this if they are to challenge for the title.

The delay is regarding fans in the away end allegedly bringing flares into the ground. Stewards are now searching the Arsenal fans as they come into the ground, removing any flares, which is why kickoff has been pushed back to 2.20pm.

It will be interesting to see whether Arsenal are hit with any sanctions due to that. There were issues with the fans during the Champions League match against Galatasaray in midweek, and once again it is matters off the field that are making headlines here.

There are likely to be a number of key battles all over the field this afternoon, but perhaps the most important one as far as Arsenal are concerned will be how Cazorla, Ozil and Sanchez fare against Matic and Fabregas in midfield. Matic in particular has been impressive in that destroyer role in midfield and is fast becoming one of the first names on Mourinho's team sheet. He was wonderful against Sporting, and a similar display today could nullify any attacking threat from Arsenal.

A lot will also hinge on how Chelsea are able to deal with an in-form Danny Welbeck, whose pace could well cause more problems for the defence than a player like Giroud may have done. Even so, Welbeck will know that he won't have an easy time this afternoon, and this will be a real test of just how big a player he could be for the Gunners.

The teams are finally on their way out of the tunnel after the delay. Arsenal took the chance to go out for a second warm-up before, while Chelsea did not re-emerge from their dressing room. It will be interesting to see if that has any impact on how quickly both get going today.

I mentioned Welbeck's importance this afternoon, but at the other end of the pitch Arsenal will have their hands full with Costa. His fitness has been called into question plenty of times already this season, but Mourinho considers the striker too important to sit out such games. So far his hamstring has held up, but Mourinho will not have been happy at the decision to call him up to the Spain squad.

KICKOFF: So, a little later than scheduled, we are finally underway at Stamford Bridge for this match between the only two unbeaten sides still in the Premier League. Chelsea kick us off for this mouth-watering London derby.

SHOT! Chelsea see most of the ball in the opening exchanges, but Arsenal win it back here and break quickly through Wilshere. He gives it to Sanchez on the left, and the Chilean goes for goal from around 30 yards out, firing an effort a couple of yards wide. He had Gibbs in support then, and probably should have given it to the overlapping full-back.

Arsene Wenger called for the Arsenal fans to give Fabregas a good reception, but they don't seem to have listened. It isn't the worst reception I have ever heard for a player, but there have been a number of boos from the away end when the midfielder has got himself on the ball.

Solid start to the match from Arsenal - certainly better than they managed on their last visit to Stamford Bridge. Both teams have seen a decent amount of the ball in the opening exchanges, but Sanchez's speculative effort remains the only shot on goal.

Wenger will be happy with what he has seen from his side so far. They are not afraid to get men forward, with Gibbs and Chambers racing forward on a number of occasions. So far so good for the visitors.

Half a chance for Arsenal as Wilshere clips a nice pass over the defence for Sanchez to run on to. The winger can't quite get to the ball as Courtois comes off his line to claim, and the two collide, leaving Courtois flat out on the ground. His head smashed into the hip of Sanchez, but he should be fine to continue.

Indeed, Courtois is back up on his feet after brief treatment. Head injuries are very much in the spotlight at the moment, but Courtois looks back to his senses and presumably would not have been allowed to continue had there been any doubts over his wellbeing.

A decent spell of possession comes to an end with a wayward pass from Ivanovic, and it isn't the first one that has gone astray in this one. The Blues have been unusually careless in possession at times so far.

Chelsea have a chance to replicate their goal against Sporting Lisbon as they are awarded a free kick inside the Arsenal half. Fabregas floats a good ball over the top for Matic, whose header back across goal is just behind Ivanovic.

Chelsea have their first corner of the match, and that could well be an avenue of success for them today given Arsenal's recent troubles from set pieces. However, they get everybody back inside their own box and manage to deal with the first test comfortably.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match goes the way to Cahill for a heavy challenge on Sanchez. The Arsenal bench was not happy with that one and wanted a red card, but the referee only flashes a deserved yellow. Wenger and Mourinho clashed on the touchline in protest at that one, and now the referee is bringing the two together for a word.

YELLOW CARD! That yellow is quickly followed by another as Chambers goes into the book for a trip on Hazard. Again, that is the right decision from the ref, and that card means that Chambers is suspended for the next match.

It looks like Courtois will not be able to continue after all following that earlier collision with Sanchez. It looks like he is bleeding from the ear right now, and the doctors have signalled that he will need to make way. It is a blow for Chelsea, but it's not like they don;t have a ready made replacement.

CHELSEA SUB: There is the change, and Cech gets a big ovation as he returns to Premier League action for Chelsea. What a sub keeper to be able to bring on!

Finally, the free kick arrives as the ball is floated towards the back post. Terry is waiting and he shows good strength to hold off two Arsenal players and get his head to the ball, but he can't steer his effort on target.

First blood to Chelsea, and it is a goal created and dispatched by Eden Hazard. It was brilliant from the Belgian to win the penalty as he raced away from Cazorla, weaved past Chambers and then skipped beyond Koscielny. The latter sticks a leg out and brings the winger down, earning a yellow card for his troubles. It is the clearest penalty you will see this season, and Hazard dusts himself off to take it. It is a very calm spot kick too as he sends the keeper the wrong way and rolls it into the bottom corner.

Arsenal have not played badly so far today, but those incidents between Mourinho and Wenger and the Courtois injury seem to have just disrupted their stride a little.

CHANCE! The Gunners have a big chance to level the scores as Wilshere picks up the ball in space on the edge of the box. His first touch is poor, however, giving Cech the chance to come out and thwart the midfielder. That intervention brought cheers almost as loud as the goal! Cech is certainly still a popular figure here.

Sanchez has done a good job defensively against the marauding Ivanovic so far, but he will need to keep that up all match. Ivanovic is a defender who looks to get forward at every opportunity, and it could only take one lapse in concentration from Sanchez to cost his side down that flank.

Koscielny is lucky that Martin Atkinson chose to be lenient with that penalty. It was a clumsy, mis-timed challenge from the Frenchman rather than anything malicious, but he was the last man and it was a goalscoring opportunity. It could have easily been a red card.

The latest news from the Chelsea camp is that Courtois is awaiting an ambulance to go to hospital and be checked out following that head injury. Hopefully it is not anything too serious.

A nasty clash of heads between Oscar and Koscielny there as the Brazilian attacks the ball but doesn't make it. Both players only had eyes for the ball there, but once again head injuries come to the fore in this game. Koscielny looks to have come off worse here, but both should be OK to continue.

Indeed, both players do carry on following brief treatment, and thankfully neither injury looks as serious as that suffered by Courtois earlier in the match.

Costa finally gets a chance to break free of the Arsenal defence as he spins away from his marker and races down the right. However, he is soon surrounded by red shirts and is eventually crowded out inside the box.

Sanchez reacts angrily to a little clash with Ivanovic and seems to just swing an arm towards the defender's back. Ivanovic doesn't make anything of it, but the referee will certainly want to keep an eye on that battle.

Hazard pings a superb ball out to the left for Schurrle to race onto in space. The German skips past Chambers, who blocks him off just outside the box to concede a foul. The fans want a second yellow card, but the referee deems the free kick to be punishment enough. Chance for Chelsea here...

It is a waste as Fabregas tries to drill it towards the near post, where Welbeck is waiting to clear it. Disappointing from the Spaniard there.

We are now into the second of four minutes added time at the end of this first half.

Arsenal are piling the pressure on in the closing stages of this half, but it just isn't falling for them right now. They have a decent opening on the edge of the box here, but Chelsea do well not to give the visitors any time to let fly.

The referee brings an end to a feisty first half between these two London rivals, and it is Chelsea who go into the break with the lead. It has been a fairly even encounter on the whole, with clear chances few and far between, but a moment of magic has been the difference between the two sides so far.

That moment of magic came from Eden Hazard, who danced his way into the area to win his side a penalty. He beat Cazorla and Chambers on his way into the box before being tripped by Koscielny, who had been left dazzled by the winger's quick feet. There was no question about Martin Atkinson's decision to award the spot kick, although Koscielny is perhaps lucky not to have been shown a red card for his challenge as he was the last man. Hazard took the penalty himself, sending the keeper the wrong way and slotting it into the bottom corner.

Aside from that, the only real other chance we have seen fell to Arsenal and Jack Wilshere. The midfielder picked the ball up on the edge of the box, but his first touch was too heavy and showed too much of it to Cech, who came out to collect the ball.

It has been a pretty scrappy affair, with a number of niggly moments on either side. The most notable one actually came on the sidelines when Wenger pushed Mourinho and squared up to the Portuguese boss following a heavy Cahill challenge. The Arsenal boss had a right to be aggrieved with the challenge as it was a dangerous one from Cahill, who was shown a yellow card. It may well have been a red, but once against Martin Atkinson chose to be lenient.

Courtois has also been forced off with a head injury following a collision with Sanchez early on, and the Belgian keeper has since been taken to hospital as a precaution. Cech got a great reception when he came on, and that save from Wilshere brought an even bigger cheer. That is all that he has had to do so far, though, as Arsenal have failed to test the sub keeper in his first Premier League appearance of the season.

It has been a real battle at the Bridge so far. There wasn't a great deal of action in either penalty area, but it has been an action-packed game so far and I'm expecting more of the same in the second half. There is an air of ill-feeling between the two teams, and that has spilled over onto the touchlines between Wenger and Mourinho. The two managers have been involved in a war of words all afternoon so far.

KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half here as they look to claw their way back into the match. As long as it remains 1-0 they are still in this game, and Wenger will not have given up hope of winning this one just yet.

Nervy moment for Cech at the start of the half as he takes too long over his clearance, allowing Welbeck to block it. The ball goes behind for a goal kick, but there was perhaps just a first sign of rustiness there from the veteran.

Nice football from Arsenal as they come forward into the Chelsea half. Welbeck and Sanchez link up to give the ball to Cazorla, whose attempted through-ball to Welbeck is fractionally too heavy. That was the right idea, but the execution was just off.

CLOSE! Again Arsenal threaten, with Sanchez the man leading the attack down the left this time. His ball across the edge of the box is cleverly left by Wilshere for Cazorla, whose low effort flashes just past the far post.

Decent spell from Chelsea here as they respond to Arsenal's bright start to the second half. A couple of crosses arrive in the box, but Mertesacker does well to deal with them both.

YELLOW CARD! Ivanovic becomes the latest player in the book having prevented the taking of an Arsenal free kick. A cheap yellow to give away there.

Arsenal now put Chelsea under a bit of pressure before the hosts can hammer the ball clear, and that almost releases Costa upfield. Szczesny is alert enough to come and meet the ball, but he makes a mess of his clearance and is fortunate not to see it fall to Costa.

This has been a very interesting opening 10 minutes to this second half. Both teams have enjoyed spells in the ascendency and there is a real tug of war going on for control of this match right now. The possession is more or less even since the restart.

SAVE! Again Hazard makes the difference as he glides past Chambers on the left before drilling a dangerous cross in towards the front post. Flamini slices the ball towards his own net, but is very lucky to see it hit Szczesny and go behind. The keeper didn't know too much about that, but it was a very important stop.

Chelsea have a chance to break as Matic nips in to win the ball in front of Koscielny. He slides a pass down the right channel to Schurrle, whose attempted cross to Costa is cut out.

Schurrle has another chance to put a ball into the box from a dangerous position, but again he gets it wrong as a promising Chelsea attack breaks down. Again it was started by Hazard, who has been very impressive so far today.

PENALTY SHOUT! Arsenal want a penalty as Fabregas dives in t block a Wilshere shot from the edge of the box. The ball clearly strikes the midfielder's hand, which is away from his body, but Martin Atkinson decides against pointing to the spot due to the proximity between the players. I've seen them given!

Sanchez has switched position in the last few minutes having had a really good battle with Ivanovic on the left wing. Ivanovic just about came out on top there, and now the Chilean has moved to the other wing as he looks for a bit more joy.

YELLOW CARD! Andre Schurrle is the latest name in the book, being shown a yellow card during a stoppage in play due to an injury to Oscar.

Chelsea have defended really well so far today. Arsenal have seen plenty of the ball and have had quite a bit of it in dangerous positions, but they still haven't been able to work the Chelsea keeper. The visitors just can't find a way through.

ARSENAL SUB: An interesting change from Arsenal as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Cazorla. I'm surprised Ozil wasn't the man replaced.

CHELSEA SUB: The hosts respond with a change of their own as Andre Schurrle comes off to be replaced by John Obi Mikel. That speaks volumes about Mourinho's mindset going into this final 20 minutes.

Decent spell of possession from Arsenal as they look to build the pressure on this Chelsea defence. They have matched the Blues for long periods of this game in the middle of the park, but they have been given nothing in the final third by Chelsea.

SHOT! Chambers looks to be the unlikely man to change that as he chests the ball down before lashing a powerful half-volley narrowly over the crossbar. Cech looked to have it covered, but it was a decent strike from the young defender.

It really has been a good team effort defensively from Chelsea, and no-one has embodied that more than Oscar. The Brazilian has worked really hard defensively and has made a few vital interceptions and tackles.

CHANCE! Chelsea make a rare break out as Costa picks up the ball on the halfway line. He is isolated, but that doesn't matter to him as he takes on the entire Arsenal defence. He makes his way into the box before slipping a pass inside to Hazard, who skips past one man before lashing an effort over the top from a tight angle.

He hasn't been involved anyway near as much as usual today, but Costa surely puts the game beyond Arsenal here with a lovely goal. Fabregas plays a stunning pass over the top for the striker to run on to, and he controls it before lifting his finish over Szczesny. Great pass, great finish, and surely now another win for Mourinho over Wenger.

ARSENAL SUB: Wenger responds to that setback with another change as Lukas Podolski comes on to replace Sanchez.

It is hard to see any way back for Arsenal now. Their time is running out and they haven;t yet been able to create a really good chance. It has been a classic Mourinho performance from Chelsea today.

ARSENAL SUB: The Gunners make their third and final change as Wilshere is replaced by Tomas Rosicky. Wilshere has had a good game this afternoon, and he doesn't look too happy to have been subbed.

Mourinho must be delighted with how his side have performed here. It has been a professional job from his side, who have worked so hard off the ball and provided the two moments of class that have separated the teams.

YELLOW CARD! Oscar could well have been booked on a couple of occasions in the first half, but he finally gets a yellow card for a cynical foul.

CHELSEA SUB: That will be Oscar last action as he makes way to be replaced by Willian. The departing player put a real shift in today, and the fans are giving him a standing ovation.

CHANCE! Arsenal have a late chance to finally get past the Chelsea defence as some nice build-up play releases Podolski in the box. However, a combination of Cahill and Cech smother the ball away as the German went for goal from a tight angle.

YELLOW CARD! Welbeck picks up a late yellow card, and he is lucky that it is nothing worse. He flew into a challenge on Fabregas, missing the ball and diving in with two feet off the ground.

Lovely move from Chelsea as they almost get a third. The ball arrives out to Ivanovic, who slides a low ball across the box for an unmarked Costa. The striker has an open goal to aim at but somehow blazes his effort over the bar from close range. It would be miss of the season, but his blushes are spared by the linesman's flag.

Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season continues as they extend their lead at the top of the table with a professional and efficient 2-0 victory over Arsenal. Hazard got the first from the spot having won the penalty himself, while Costa netted the second with just over 10 minutes remaining following a sublime pass from Fabregas.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for an eventful London derby as Chelsea inflict a first league defeat of the season on Arsenal to maintain their own unbeaten record. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings, which will be on site shortly. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!