2 positives and 3 negatives as Arsenal draw 1-1 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Arsenal had their lead cut to five points on Sunday as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It was a first-versus-second clash here and that was made evident by its hard-fought first half, one in which both sides flew into tackles and picked up a flurry of yellow cards. Then, on 38 minutes, Blues’ star Moises Caicedo overstepped the mark, earning a straight red card for his bad challenge on Mikel Merino.

Yet the hosts still broke the deadlock just after half-time. Reece James sent in a lovely cross that was met by Trevoh Chalobah at the near post and his soft, looping header crept in at the far corner to put Chelsea into a deserved lead.

The Gunners needed a quick response and got it nine minutes later via a header of their own; on this occasion, Bukayo Saka worked space down his right flank before firing a cross into the box for Merino to rise highest and restore parity to the contest.

Positives and negatives as Arsenal and Chelsea battle it out for a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge

Sadly, that was as good as it got for Arsenal and, bar a late chance at the death, it never felt like they would salvage the win; even with a man down, Chelsea looked the more likely to go on and net a late winner.

Here are two positives and three negatives from a disappointing but fair result between Arsenal and the Blues.

Positive #1: Mikel Merino the hero again

Give that man a knighthood!

Mikel Arteta hardly signed Merino to go up front and score key goals, but he must still be happy that the Spaniard has found his true calling there.

Even with the extra man, Arsenal had been fighting against the tide and things looked ominous when Chelsea took that early second-half lead. Someone needed to get a grip and save the visitors from an embarrassing loss, possibly a costly one too in the title shake-up.

And Merino duly obliged, leaping highest in the penalty area to steer home the Saka cross and nullify the home momentum. It started as a novelty but, by now, he has really proved his worth as a striker and perhaps deserves more respect; three goal contributions in his last three Premier League games certainly suggests so.

His good time might be over as Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus are back but poor injury luck could see him deployed there again in future.  

Negative #1: Emotions run too high

Might seem a bit rich given how it was actually Chelsea who ended the match with ten man and had a few ‘robust’ tackles of their own.

But this game was a true test of the Gunners’ title mettle – they did not impress. The visitors racked up three yellow cards inside the first thirteen minutes – Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera and Martin Zubimendi all cautioned before the quarter hour – while Piero Hincapie also had a brush with the law soon after the restart.

Those potential ‘head-loss’ moments were coupled with a few Blues’ sighters and one poor defensive lapse almost let in Joao Pedro to score prior to the red card.

Arsenal seemed to let the fiery atmosphere rattle them and failed to do much to take the sting out of an in-form Chelsea team. It could have cost them more goals or even a red card but even their failure to win is punishment enough.

Maybe it is a natural consequence of their tough week.

Positive #2: Returning stars add to depth

Clutching at straws for the positives here…

But Arsenal can truly take heart from the return of several familiar faces to their squad, with Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus all making it onto the bench for a high-stakes encounter against a fierce London rival.

The Gunners have coped well with their injury troubles, yet to get players back of that calibre is still a huge boost. Games will come relentlessly between now and the new year; ten, in, fact over the next 36 days.

In that time, the Premier League will be front and centre thanks to the Gunners’ imperious European record. Arteta needs all the help he can get to ensure his men can continue piling up the three points and having FIT depth gives him every chance to achieve it.

Starting with Brentford on Wednesday.

Negative #2: Arsenal fail to make the extra man count

Which team had a player sent off?

At the time, the Caicedo red card looked like a blessing: Chelsea had come storming out of the blocks and were enjoying the fervent support of a hostile Stamford Bridge. Arsenal wished for something to turn the game and a dismissal would probably do the trick.

It only made the Blues angry.

The home team did not back down and always posed a threat in transition through Pedro Neto. The Gunners, meanwhile, repeatedly gave the ball away in poor areas or picked the wrong option when in and around the box – something Odegaard was particularly guilty of upon his introduction (maybe it is just rustiness).

Drawing is not the worst result but it feels worse considering the numerical advantage that Arsenal held for most of the game, and to drop points in that scenario – albeit in a derby game after a hard week – seems unbecoming of a side with title aspirations.

This lead simply cannot slip.

Negative #3: Slip-up in the title race

A reactionary take I know; the title is not going to be won or lost on any given weekend and least of all in a tough away match like this one.

The price of the draw is a reduced five-point lead over Manchester City at the top and it means that Arsenal have drawn two of their last three league matches. It is hardly cause for mass panic (look at how City struggled against Leeds United on Saturday) but dropped points against ten men always has that asterisk attached to it.

As fans, we perhaps do not appreciate the toll it can take on a team to face Tottenham in the NLD as well as smash an elite side like Bayern Munich in Europe before facing a trip to Chelsea. Yet it will still feel like a missed opportunity in the circumstances and, after all the hurt of recent years, one cannot help but fear the worst about giving City an inch.

Arsenal must bounce back right away.