Chelsea held on for a 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge despite Moises Caicedo’s first-half red card in a fiery London derby.
Caicedo’s yellow was upgraded to red after a VAR check for a studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino, making him the fourth Chelsea player sent off this season. Reduced to 10 men, Enzo Maresca’s side still took the lead straight after half-time when Trevoh Chalobah flicked a Reece James corner beyond David Raya with a near-post header.
Arsenal levelled when Bukayo Saka twisted into the right side of the box and delivered a cross for makeshift striker Merino to head into the corner. With around 30 minutes to play against 10 men, Arsenal looked well-placed to win but struggled to create clear chances. Merino went closest late on, drawing a sharp save from Robert Sanchez from the edge of the box.
The Gunners were without first-choice centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for only the second time in 162 league matches. They also picked up six bookings, including four in the stormy first period. Chelsea were aggrieved Piero Hincapie received only a yellow for an elbow that left Chalobah with a bruised cheek.
Chelsea pressed on the break in the closing stages, with substitute Liam Delap forcing a save from Raya, but the hosts ultimately celebrated a hard-earned point while wondering what might have been without Caicedo’s dismissal.
Player ratings: James excels
Chelsea: Sanchez (7), Gusto (7), Fofana (8), Chalobah (8), Cucurella (7), James (8), Caicedo (3), Enzo (6), Estevao (6), Joao Pedro (6), Neto (6)
Subs: Garnacho (6), Delap (6)
Arsenal: Raya (7), Timber (8), Mosquera (7), Hincapie (7), Calafiori (7), Zubimendi (6), Rice (7), Eze (6), Saka (7), Merino (7), Martinelli (6)
Subs: Lewis-Skelly (6), Odegaard (6), Madueke (6), Gyokeres (6)
Player of the Match: Reece James
Caicedo’s rashness costly for Chelsea
Caicedo had been fired up from early on, committing a shove on Merino and escaping punishment for a shoulder barge into Jurrien Timber before the fatal studs-up challenge. His over-enthusiasm turned into recklessness when he went into Merino’s ankle, earning the red. Chelsea have again been undermined by ill-discipline this season; Maresca will be keen to stamp it out quickly.
Managers and players
Enzo Maresca: “I think we showed we are heading in the right direction. We were a much better team than them 11 vs 11 but with 10 players, it is difficult but we dealt with it outstandingly… Tonight we can be happy even if we didn’t win.”
Mikel Arteta: “I think it was a really proper London derby. Really intense. Two teams very willing to win and not much football. We scored a great goal. And after that, we had two or three big chances, but we lacked certain details.” On Saliba: “I don’t know. I think he’s got another test tomorrow.”
Mikel Merino: “I felt my ankle go all the way. Luckily, I have very mobile ankles and body so I wasn’t concerned about myself. But I knew it was a horrible challenge and a red card straight away.”
Reece James: “It’s disappointing to come away with only one point. We went down to 10 men pretty early and that made it difficult. Today was a big statement, even though we wanted to win, there’s positives to take from that.”
Match context and stats
– Shots: Chelsea 11, Arsenal 8. Arsenal’s eight shots were their lowest in a Premier League game since October 2024 at Bournemouth (six).
– Chelsea went closest overall from volume and defended resolutely with 10 men.
– Arsenal failed to win a Premier League game against opponents who received a first-half red card for the first time since August 2010 (Liverpool 1-1, Joe Cole sent off).
– Chelsea have four red cards in 13 league games this season — twice as many as any other team and the earliest in a campaign they’ve reached that total.
League impact
The draw cuts Arsenal’s lead at the top from six to five points. Manchester City moved above Chelsea into second after their win over Leeds on Saturday.
What’s next
Chelsea and Arsenal continue their Premier League campaigns with fixtures to come as both seek momentum from a hard-fought derby point.