Chelsea squared up against Arsenal in a Conte vs Wenger encounter. It was a derby fixture which could be described as one of the most interesting London derbies in the Premier League in 2018. The match ended in a 2 all draw and yet again Wenger seemed to have the last laugh at the end as Chelsea were leading until the 92nd minute before Bellerin struck a beauty.

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However, we are more interested in the managerial encounters between Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger since the Italian manager arrived in the Premier League. If there was any manager that Wenger seems to be dominating since his arrival, it should be Antonio Conte whose Chelsea side has been on the wrong end of results against Wenger’s Arsenal.

Very few will easily forget the 3 nil drubbing Arsenal handed the blues in Conte’s first season in the Premier League, and since then, the Frenchman has had the upper hand. The meeting between the two managers could also be put in a context of ‘Wenger meets wife” or “Mourinho meets Wenger”, but this time around with Wenger being Mourinho and Conte being Wenger.

Wenger has met Conte 6 times since the latter arrived in the Premier League and has had the major last laughs in all those encounters. They met earlier this season with Chelsea been regarded as heavy favorites for the win, but Arsenal stole a point at Stamford Bridge. The gunners could have stolen 3 points on the day if some bit of luck had been on their side and Mustafi’s goal allowed to stand, just as it has been against them in some of their recent PL matches to the chagrin of Wenger and fans.

Conte has emerged victorious just once in 6 games while Wenger has triumphed thrice. A small margin of dominance it seems, but very few have been used to such stats in results under previous managers at Chelsea, with another notable exception being Andre Villas-Boas.

Conte vs Wenger: Head to head

Wed 03/01/2018 – PL: Arsenal 2 – 2 Chelsea

Sun 17/09/17 – PL: Chelsea 0 – 0 Arsenal

Sun 06/08/17 – COMM SHIELD: Arsenal 1 – 1 Chelsea [Arsenal triumphed on penalties]

Sat 27/05/17 – FAC: Arsenal 2 – 1 Chelsea

Sat 04/02/17 – PL: Chelsea 3 – 1 Arsenal

Sat 24/09/16 – PL: Arsenal 3 – 0 Chelsea

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This has been a surprise as Chelsea seemed to be dominating Arsenal in recent times until Conte’s arrival as manager. The Conte vs Wenger encounters will be one that Chelsea fans will approach with some pessimism as results show that Wenger has the upper hand over the Italian, and this won’t be a welcome development as Chelsea fans have always reveled in how their side has been dominating the Gunners in recent times until Conte’s arrival. We now look forward to their next encounter in the cup to determine if the Conte vs Wenger encounter will be unarguably tagged as ‘Wenger meets wife’ or if it will be dismissed as a series of good luck runs and one-off results.