Arsenal fans react to a nightmare first half against Chelsea

Arsenal came into Sunday's game against Chelsea with a sense of optimism.

The Gunners would go back to the top of the table with a win, while Chelsea have been struggling through their worst season since Roman Abramovich arrived over a decade ago. But that optimism quickly turned to misery after their worst fears were realised in a chaotic first half performance. First, Per Mertesacker was given a straight red card for a last-man challenge on Diego Costa with just 18 minutes gone. https://twitter.com/JPW_NBCSports/status/691296521145298945 https://twitter.com/__arsenalnews_/status/691296216412483584 https://twitter.com/ArsenaIDan/status/691295765516414976 https://twitter.com/RyanKeaney/status/691294643867136005 https://twitter.com/FourFourJordan/status/691296943285346305 Arsene Wenger needed to bring on Gabriel Paulista, which meant someone had to make way. In the end, that man was Olivier Giroud, and Arsenal fans weren't happy to see their main striker leave the pitch after just 20 minutes, with a chorus of boos ringing round the Emirates. https://twitter.com/BlackScarfAFC/status/691295903190220801 https://twitter.com/gunnerblog/status/691294726142742530 https://twitter.com/Giroudesque/status/691298645849829376 https://twitter.com/Dan24Stock/status/691298567235997696 https://twitter.com/Pog_mo_GOONER/status/691299180099297280 Then Costa heaped the misery on the home fans as he tucked away a cross ahead of three Arsenal defenders. https://twitter.com/theodorelasso/status/691298929690984448 https://twitter.com/_PaulHayward/status/691295727356678144 https://twitter.com/samuelJayC/status/691295122361847808 https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/691295266515861504