Justice rules pulsating London derby

A crunch London derby to draw the curtain on the festive period promised much as fans gathered at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening. The much-anticipated returns of Mesut Ozil or Eden Hazard set an encouraging mood in north London and those in attendance were not disappointed.

The teams tested each other early on before the visitors finally settled on the ball. It would not be for long, as a frantic and highly entertaining first half of football eventually ensued. Neither side claimed full control of the encounter, which was played at a terrifying pace with Conte and Wenger no doubt on edge.

Ozil, Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez were heavily involved in Arsenal's fast counter-attacks and were only denied by the frame of the goal or the towering figure of Thibaut Courtois who was once again crucial in stopping the deadlock being broken.

After a deflected Sanchez free-kick almost caught the Belgian on the wrong side, it was Chelsea who were granted the first big opening of the game. Chambers lost focus and a long ball from Moses saw Morata through on goal, but the Spaniard's finishing was as woeful as the defending as he placed his effort well wide of the mark.

Arsenal were straight up the other end with Sanchez coming as close as humanly possible to scoring, but Courtois' fingertips and both posts stood in his way. The ball travelled along the goal-line from one post to another before the Chelsea stopper collected with relief.

The manic pace had supporters on the edge of their seats for much of the fixture with chances galore at both ends. Arsenal slowly took the upper hand as they split open the Blues' back line at ease. Ozil found Lacazette in the middle of the area and the Frenchman's shot on the turn looked destined for the bottom corner before a strong palm from Courtois once again allowed the Blues to remain level.

Arsenal were unable to make the spell count and Chelsea reacted with Bakayoko testing Cech from inside the box. A peripheral figure in the opening stages, Hazard gradually grew in the game and his team certainly noticed it. His back-heel on the edge of the area was wasted by Fabregas who fired high and wide. Ozil came inches from surprising Courtois from 25 yards but his fizzing effort trickled just wide.

The first half came to a conclusion with the feeling that the hosts had done that little bit more to open the scoring but with the scoreline somehow still level. A more subdued start to the second period soon gave way to a flurry of chances at both ends as the game resumed it's relentless pace.

After the show from Courtois before the break, Cech looked solid when denying Hazard first and a headed effort from Alonso which was creeping into the bottom corner. Lacazette's vented his frustration after Courtois stuck out a foot to block his finish. It was not to be the Frenchman's evening.

Just when the goalkeepers were beginning to look unbeateable, the Gunners took the lead. The ball was deflected into the path of Wilshere and the midfielder rifled his shot into the near top corner, with Courtois helplessly watching as it cannoned in off the inside of the post.

The hosts appeared to have achieved a merited breakthrough but they would not hold onto it for long, with Hazard going down under a Ballerin challenge and Anthony Taylor pointing to the spot. The Belgian himself stepped up to send Cech the wrong way.

The equaliser shattered Arsenal's confidence, and Chelsea smelt blood. Kante saw an effort deflected wide after Morata failed to hit the target when through on goal. The game then entered a perilous phase for both sides, and Chelsea capitalised on slack defending from the Gunners when Alonso steered home a low Zappacosta cross from the right.

The hosts were shocked, but they drove forward in search of a late equaliser. And Hector Bellerin provided the drama, bending a half-volley into the far corner in the second minute of stoppage time. Morata had time to miss one more chance before Zappacosta smashed the crossbar on the volley in a stunning end that was well-suited to the overall feel of the game.

Both sides will rue the two points dropped at the Emirates tonight but supporters will be thankful for the riveting show. Chelsea miss out on the chance to move back into second, while Arsenal fail to move ahead of Spurs.