Respite for Benitez as Chelsea hold on

There was a time when this fixture and the compelling sub-plot of Jose Mourinho going head-to-head with Arsene Wenger, was the ultimate confrontation of the season.

Good players do remain at both clubs but, for a convincing illustration of why Manchester and not London has established itself as the capital of English football, a recording of this match would suffice. Yes, so soon after Pep Guardiola's snub to Roman Abramovich and the collapse against Southampton, it was an afternoon when victory of any sort would prove significant and timely for Chelsea.

With Abramovich in attendance for the first time this year, the absence of any tangible sign of a backlash against Rafael Benitez from the home fans was also notable. Yet factor in Arsenal's truly feeble first-half performance followed by Chelsea almost letting slip a two-goal lead for the second time in six days and this was an occasion when respective frailties were most to the fore. Relief rather than any tangible sense of lift-off under Benitez was the dominant emotion around Stamford Bridge.

The problems are familiar, not least in the form of Fernando Torres, who again added to his growing personal compilation of missed passes, crosses and poor finishes. His goal drought now stands at seven matches.

Arsenal's problems run deeper, however, and while both Chelsea goals were contentious, Wenger was right to accept the futility in simply pointing an accusing finger at referee Martin Atkinson. He was clearly furious on the touchline at the way his players persistently stood off Chelsea and allowed Juan Mata and Eden Hazard - two players he tried to bring to Arsenal - dictate the match.

With further ground lost in the race for the top four, Wenger's claim that Arsenal cannot avoid to drop further points was also a tacit acceptance that his team's Champions League status was under more threat than ever.

Chelsea were on the front-foot from the first minute when they had a plausible penalty appeal waved away after Abou Diaby appeared to manhandle Oscar.

With Ramires and Frank Lampard dominant in central midfield and Mata, Oscar and Hazard all initially interchanging to great effect further forward, it was a reminder of the basic differences in quality between the two teams. That was particularly striking when Olivier Giroud missed an excellent chance to put Arsenal into the lead just seconds before Mata converted an even more difficult opportunity for Chelsea. Cesar Azpilicueta delivered an incisive through-ball that exposed the gaping hole between Bacary Sagna and Per Mertesacker in the Arsenal defence.

Wenger was apoplectic, not so much at his team's defending but a mistake from Atkinson in missing Ramires's late tackle on Francis Coquelin at the start of the attack.

There was further controversy for Chelsea's second but, once again, also some terrible Arsenal defending. Mertesacker continued to find himself sucked, almost schoolboy style, towards the ball, with Mata exploiting Sagna's positional indiscipline to put Ramires clear on goal. Wojciech Szczesny went to ground, with Ramires knocking the ball past the Arsenal goalkeeper and then just glancing his leg before going down. It appeared that the only point of debate would be whether Atkinson should send off Szczesny as well as award the penalty but subsequent replays suggested that Ramires had moved his leg towards the goalkeeper just before contact.

Atkinson sided with Ramires in awarding a penalty but, having made that decision, was generous in allowing Szczesny to escape with a booking. Lampard, inevitably, converted the penalty.

Chelsea initially maintained their control but, in spite of overrunning Arsenal in central midfield, they were repeatedly let down by Torres. And his lack of certainty, confidence and killer instinct gradually seemed to seep through the team. They found themselves pinned back throughout a nervy second half. Mertesacker and Theo Walcott had both tested Petr Cech shortly after the restart before Chelsea's lead was deservedly halved. Santi Cazorla delivered a perfectly-timed pass after spotting Walcott lurking between Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic. Walcott's pace ensured a clear run at goal and, demonstrating the calmness in front of goal that has persuaded Wenger to make him the club's highest-paid player, he opened up his body and sidefooted the ball past Cech.

Chelsea were clinging on, with Benitez prompting the only real cheer from their fans during the second half by finally replacing Torres with Demba Ba. His impact was immediate. With Sagna and Szczesny again out of position, Ba sprinted clear and was only denied by a goal-line clearance from Thomas Vermaelen. The general pattern of Arsenal pressure resumed but Chelsea held firm.