CHELSEA 1-1 ARSENAL: The Blues threatened an upset with ten men when they took a second-half lead but the Gunners were able to leave Stamford Bridge with a point thanks to Mikel Merino
Arsenal battled back to claim a point at Chelsea courtesy of Mikel Merino’s header – which keeps them in control of the Premier League title race.
The Gunners saw Manchester City close in but finished the weekend with a five point buffer at the top as they prevented Chelsea gaining more momentum after the hosts had taken a surprise lead in west London.
The Blues’ task was not made easy by the first-half sending off of Moises Caicedo, but they battled with ten men to take the lead against their London rivals. Trevoh Chalobah, once discarded by the club, has returned and headed home from a corner to ignite Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s player deficit meant Arsenal were always going to be in the ascendancy and eventually they made that count as they pushed for parity. Bukayo Saka getting the better of Marc Cucurella before crossing for Mikel Merino, who equalised from close range.
Chelsea came into the contest off the back of beating Barcelona in the Champions League and knew a victory would see them close to within three points of their London rivals. But once the clash was back level a point looked a good result with their opportunities largely limited.
READ MORE: William Saliba absence explained by Mikel Arteta as Arsenal without two defensive starsREAD MORE: Referees accused of doing what VAR is not meant to after Moises Caicedo red card
Mikel Arteta, as he can do nowadays, rung the changes and his heavily stocked bench allowed the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke to enter the contest. They were unable to help find a goal which could’ve proved decisive as the status quo in the top flight largely remains.
Here’s our debrief from an entertaining afternoon in the capital, which saw Chelsea hold on for a share of the spoils.
Another missed opportunity?
Arsenal might sit top, and they’ve looked imperious for much of the season. But they and Arteta got pelters for their failings in the games against Liverpool and Man City. At Anfield they were the better team but ultimately walked away with nothing. Against City they trailed early but dominated and yet Arsenal only landed a point in stoppage time.
Against Chelsea things were certainly level – that was until the Blues went a man down. Were the visitors obliged to show some killer instinct and win the game? Some may say so, but Arsenal didn’t deliver. They fell behind and had to show something to get back into the game but ultimately had 30 minutes to find a winner – yet couldn’t show the ruthless edge necessary.
Chelsea’s title ambitions
It was Liverpool, then it was Arsenal and sitting in the background have been Man City. But now maybe it is Chelsea. Few fancied them to mount a title charge but they’ve quietly gone about their business. Last term the Blues were somewhat in the hunt until Christmas but faded away. They are a year better off now and may well feel as though they should be taken more seriously.
Credit to them, they didn’t let the sending off stop them from playing and there was genuine ambition about their play when they had the opportunity. Had they closed the gap then their stock would’ve risen further, but circumstances dictated that a point was good value and they may well have a say come May.
Blues’ bomb squad
That’s been a phrase used in football to describe a group of players who are surplus to requirements, often training away from the first-team. Well once upon a time Chalobah was in that cohort and his Chelsea future looked all but done.
Ironically the bomb squad is a phrase also used in rugby, to describe the South African set of replacements, who so often come on and destroy teams, winning games in the process. Maybe Chalobah can help change the perception of a bomb squad member as his magical renaissance at Stamford Bridge continues.
Caiced-oh no
He’s been sensational this season and so much of the talk in the build-up to this clash was how Arsenal once missed out on Caicedo, who ultimately ended up as a Blue. Debate over whether Declan Rice or Caicedo has more influence also ignited, but ultimately the Chelsea man last less than 40 minutes.
Caicedo came flying into Merino, with his studs catching the Spaniard high. It looked nasty at full speed but it needed a VAR intervention before the referee Anthony Taylor decided it was red card worthy. The dismissal changing the dynamic of the game totally with the Ecuadorian left to regret his misstep.
Laying down early markers
It doesn’t look as though discipline was the order of the day at Stamford Bridge with both teams keen to make sure their opponents knew they were There. After 13 minutes the referee had already shown three cards – which was the earliest time so many had been shown in the Premier League throughout 2025.
It is the first time since they took on Manchester United in September 2006 that Arsenal have received two or more yellow cards in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League game as Zubimendi and Mosquera were both put into the book – certainly giving the latter little margin for error. Arsenal ended up received three cards inside the opening 30 minutes of a Premier League game for the first time on record.
Caicedo’s red card was the tip of the iceberg, but in an attritional first-half you can’t say it was a surprise.
James: the ultimate Swiss army knife
He’s just a stunning footballer really. Just how good might he be had he spent more time on the pitch and not on the treatment table over recent years. More usually at right-back, sometimes a wing-back, on Sunday he was used as a central midfielder and was still hugely influential.
James found himself dropping deep to pick up the ball, slipping into centre-half, which helped launch Chelsea’s attacks. The Englishman is such a confident dribbler that he was able slot into the middle of the pitch no issue, causing Arsenal’s backline problems, forcing Calafiori into a foul and a booking. All afternoon, he looked a class act, and the Blues are a far better outfit with him in it.
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