Arsenal remain clear at the top. Chelsea captain Reece James said his side delivered a “statement”, but Mikel Arteta felt the Gunners “should have won”. Here’s why both sides can be broadly happy with Sunday’s 1-1 draw.
A positive point for Arsenal — even if two dropped in circumstances
There will be frustration at Arsenal for not capitalising on Moises Caicedo’s red card after 38 minutes, but the Gunners were far from their best at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal were without first-choice centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel for only the second time in 162 league matches, risked going down to 10 men themselves with six bookings in a scrappy contest, and were missing Leandro Trossard through injury. Key attackers Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyökeres are still regaining full sharpness.
That showed as Arsenal struggled for attacking rhythm. Chelsea, in good form, still caused problems even with 10 men. To keep the gap to Chelsea to six points with a draw is something Arsenal would have taken before the game. It was a point gained on the performance but, given the circumstances, two points dropped — yet one to build on.
It also comes after a draining week for Arteta’s side, following big wins over Spurs and Bayern Munich. “It’s been a big week,” Arteta said, referencing the derby and the Champions League tie. They lost players across those games and had to react; staying unbeaten in three tough matches extends their run in all competitions to 17 games. In Premier League terms, Stamford Bridge is another difficult away trip navigated — after Old Trafford, Anfield and St James’ Park — and holding a five-point lead remains valuable. (Oliver Yew)
Chelsea shed a soft underbelly to show true mettle
This week felt like the culmination of what Enzo Maresca has been building. Chelsea showed bite. While Barcelona capitulated after Ronald Araújo’s first-half dismissal earlier in the week, Chelsea were galvanised by Caicedo’s sending-off and became only the second team of 14 to deny Arsenal victory. Chelsea even struck less than three minutes after half-time despite being a man down.
There have been long-standing questions about Chelsea’s mentality and dressing-room cohesion through recent eras, and parts of Maresca’s tenure have been affected too. But this performance can be a benchmark: Chelsea rolled up their sleeves, did the hard, physical work, got stuck in and demonstrated they could battle even at 10 vs 11. For the last hour they showed an edge beyond recent achievements like the Club World Cup win and returning to the Champions League.
Former Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge praised the point as particularly valuable for Chelsea. “It’s absolutely a better point for Chelsea,” he said, noting they played nearly 60 minutes with 10 men against a team of Arsenal’s quality. He singled out Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James, and the team’s communication and collective defensive effort.
Eighteen months into Maresca’s reign, this performance added the fight to his tactical planning — a mentality blueprint Chelsea can build on. (Ron Walker)