This was the resumption of a bitter rivalry. It felt spicy from the moment Marc Cucurella sent Bukayo Saka flying with the first foul of the afternoon and, although it ended with Arsenal still dominant in first place, they will look at Chelsea’s defiant response to Moisés Caicedo’s reckless red card and conclude that Enzo Maresca’s young side will be coming for them in the future.
There were probably more reasons for Chelsea to feel positive at the end of this bruising 1-1 draw. Their dominance of Arsenal was once routine, back in the days when Didier Drogba would delight in dragging Philippe Senderos around Stamford Bridge, but the balance of power has shifted in recent years.
Chelsea, after all, have not come close to finishing above Arsenal since 2022. They have drifted away from the conversation at the top of the table and have needed their fans to stay patient after embarking on an extensive rebuild of their squad.
Arsenal have the stability. Mikel Arteta has stripped away the silliness that once held them back and it was hard not to fear for Chelsea when they were reduced to 10 men after 38 minutes of collisions, niggles and furious arguments over throw‑ins. It was their sixth red card of the season – seven if you throw in Maresca being sent from the touchline against Liverpool in October – and when it happened the widespread expectation was that Chelsea would again be made to regret their inability to stay calm under pressure.
But if it was different this time, it owed much to Maresca’s bravery once Anthony Taylor had checked the pitchside monitor and dismissed Caicedo for a horrible lunge on Mikel Merino. There was no chance of Chelsea’s head coach going on the defensive.
Perhaps Maresca recalled the criticism when he made negative changes after his side went down to 10 during defeats to Manchester United and Brighton this season. The Italian admitted at the time that he was at fault. Yet he is a young coach. The 45-year-old is still developing and he could take immense satisfaction from how he set Chelsea up here.
The easy move would have been to remove an attacker and bolster the midfield once Caicedo was off. Yet Maresca stood still.
Chelsea were the more convincing side when it was 11 v 11. Estêvão Willian had lashed over from close range and Arsenal had not looked as secure as usual with Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera deputising for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães in central defence, so what did Chelsea have to gain from relinquishing the initiative?
Nothing. And so, sensing that Arsenal were miffed at being matched in the physical duels, Chelsea managed to cope with the hole left by Caicedo’s exit. They had Enzo Fernández playing a little deeper in midfield and they deserved to lead when Trevoh Chalobah headed in a corner from the magnificent Reece James at the start of the second half.
By the end, of course, there was disappointment at the failure to cut Arsenal’s lead at the top to three points. Inconsistency is why Chelsea do not view themselves as realistic title challengers. They can be careless and they will wonder if they might have won this fixture for the first time since 2018 had Caicedo not taken the combativeness too far.
The Arsenal bench erupted when they saw a replay of the Chelsea midfielder’s challenge on Merino, who later rose to meet Saka’s cross and head in the equaliser. Caicedo has form. He has been fortunate not to be sent off for awful tackles on Anthony Gordon, Ryan Gravenberch and Pape Matar Sarr but his luck finally ran out when he slipped and went in high on Merino’s left ankle.
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Ultimately Caicedo was too pumped up. Chelsea still have to learn how not to take their intensity to dangerous levels. They needed snarl against Arsenal but there were times when they strayed dangerously close to the edge.
There was an early booking for Cucurella for chopping down Saka, plus a moment when Fernández risked censure for catching Mosquera in the face.
Equally there were times when Chelsea rattled Arsenal’s weakened back four. Fernández, a professional irritant, wound Jurriën Timber up so much that the right‑back was penalised for taking too long over a throw. James, the best player on the pitch, was outstanding in midfield and got three Arsenal players booked. Chalobah’s goal was not a surprise.
Chelsea limited Arsenal to their fewest amount of shots in a game in over a year. They stood up at set pieces and the increasingly assured Robert Sánchez made some fine saves.
It is probably too soon for Chelsea to challenge but the progress is undeniable. Arsenal never had control. They remain the team to beat but will know more than ever that Chelsea are a threat.
