Soccer Monday – review and guide
By Zhao Siyuan (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2015-04-27 15:35Talking points
Fabregas back to Emirates Stadium
There's always drama when a club welcomes back a former favorite now playing for a strong neighboring rival.
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Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas applauds the fans as he is substituted during their Premier League match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London, April 26, 2015. [Photo/Agencies] |
Arsenal fans showed they were still not ready to move on by booing and jeering every time Chelsea playmaker Cesc Fabregas, returning to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since transferring to Barcelona in 2011, touched the ball.
Arsenal hosted Chelsea, leading the Premier League standings, on Sunday in a goalless London derby.
The Spanish prodigy was undeniably in the spotlight having spent eight seasons with the Gunners' followers, who watched him evolve from a talented teenager to the North London club's captain but were later upset by the manner of his departure to Barca.
The Spaniard joined Chelsea, with which Arsenal shares a bitter rivalry, ahead of the current season, seemingly making it even more unforgivable.
Adding to the irony, the 27-year-old is set to win his first Premier League title with Chelsea, an honor that eluded him during his eight-year stint as a Gunner.
Fabregas, however, didn't give up on attempting a reconciliation. He applauded spectators at the end of the match, who in return finally clapped him back.
Just because good memories cloud reality doesn't mean they should be discarded.
