Arsenal - 2 Chelsea - 1 A first Premiership defeat of the season, inflicted by Carlo Cudicini's grotesque mistake, readmitted Chelsea to the ranks of suffering teams

The Stamford Bridge club were mingling with the careworn masses once again.

Even their billionaire owner felt compassion for them rather than annoyance. "Mr Abramovich is a very kind person," said the coach, Claudio Ranieri. "He went into our dressing-room after the match to comfort the players."

None the less, the outcome here scarcely traps them in despair. "Chelsea maybe need a little bit more time but their huge squad will be an advantage to them in March, April," said the Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger.

His side deserved this victory, but Chelsea had come very close to achieving a draw, despite being compelled by injury to partner Mario Melchiot and Robert Huth in the middle of the back four.

Ranieri now has to rally disappointed players. This loss simply made Chelsea shuffle off to third place, but defeat to Lazio at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday could lead to them slithering out of the Champions League.

There is the comfort, at least, of knowing that John Terry may have recovered from a muscle strain to take part.

Wenger's team, bound for tomorrow's match in Kiev, have Champions League misgivings of their own, but they exude well-being in England. Arsenal possess a larger quantity of suitable players than had been supposed and, ironically, it was they rather than Chelsea who bought a victory with the riches of their squad system.

Nwankwo Kanu and Dennis Bergkamp, as substitutes, began to dismantle Ranieri's defence - and the Nigerian had the element of surprise in his favour. For a year or two he has been inert at Arsenal and Chelsea might be indignant that the attacker should abruptly recover vitality to pick on them.

Kanu had headed against a post from the corner-kick in the 73rd minute that followed a move that he had initiated. That build-up culminated in Thierry Henry turning Wayne Bridge and being foiled only by the splendid save with which Cudicini turned the ball behind.

A goalkeeper's reputation, though, is always precarious. Two minutes later Bergkamp struck a quick free-kick to the influential Robert Pires, who had stolen into space on the right. The Frenchman's low cross was poor but Cudicini, clawing to gather it in, pulled the ball behind himself to leave Henry with a tap-in.

"If I see he is not confident I will speak with him, but I have every confidence in Carlo," said Ranieri.

None the less, so far this season Cudicini has punched poorly for Andy Cole's goal during the 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers and missed a through ball completely when Sergen Yalcin scored in Besiktas's 2-0 victory. The goalkeeper's state of mind is surely being monitored closely by Ranieri.

In the Premiership, Arsenal are psychologically robust. Since the drubbing by Internazionale they have followed the draw at Old Trafford with wins over Newcastle United, Liverpool and Chelsea. That sequence raises doubts about the standard of English club football, but Arsenal will find no anti-climax in a prolonged challenge for the title.

They are far from their streamlined best and, with Sylvain Wiltord distracted as he wavers between agreeing a new contract and leaving as a free agent in the summer, Arsenal's threat in attack is sporadic.

The opener, in the fifth minute, came through an extreme deflection as Edu's free-kick cannoned off Ray Parlour's foot.

Chelsea's equaliser, three minutes later, arose from a wildly unorthodox blind-side run.

Hernan Crespo was initially behind the Arsenal by-line tying his laces but then trotted back into play, without permission, to collect Geremi's through ball. The Argentinian's next manoeuvre, though, was touched with such grandeur that few people could spare a thought for Arsenal's objections. Stepping inside from the right, he bent a thrilling 30-yarder into the far corner of the net.

Chelsea declined sharply as the afternoon proceeded. Ranieri felt the understanding within a long-established Arsenal side took its toll, even if Patrick Vieira was missing. There is justice in that observation, but the usual debates about the coach's planning continue.

Damien Duff operated in the congested area behind the attack and never received an invitation to use his strong running in the space on the left instead. Ranieri, as the most markedly interventionist tactician in the Premiership, will always provoke discussion.

That is his approach and it is his obligation to make it succeed. The Italian continues to brush off the talk about Sven-Goran Eriksson replacing him next summer.

"I think there are a lot (of candidates)," he said. "I just work. To think about who could arrive after me is not important. If you replaced me, what would change?"

This is too modest. Ranieri, for good or ill, is doing the job in his own unique way.