Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Chelsea: 5 things we learned – What. A. Game.

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 03: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 03: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

Arsenal hosted Chelsea on Wednesday night in a crucial Premier League tie. Here are five things we learned from the 2-2 draw.

Arsenal battled their way to a 2-2 draw as Chelsea travelled across London on Wednesday night. It was a result that was deserved. Both sides had chances; both sides will be aggrieved that they failed to hold onto their leads when they had them. And there were some moments of real attacking quality, paired with equally loose and lackadaisical defending. It was extremely entertaining, a pulsating, vivacious affair. In the end, while the result is a little disappointing, the performance was not.

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Here are five things we learned.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 03: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal and Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea battle for possession during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 03: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal and Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea battle for possession during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

5. Ainsley Maitland-Niles shows his potential

Bar a marvellous Mesut Ozil, who I will get onto later in this piece, Ainsley Maitland-Niles was Arsenal’s best player. Wonderfully calm and composed on the ball, he showcased great pace and athleticism in his defensive duties, as a willingness to support Alexis Sanchez with surging, overlapping runs off the ball.

The only moment of critique was his failure to get across Davide Zappacosta for the second goal, allowing a dangerous low cross into the penalty area. But that is being a little nitpicky. Certainly, the fault for the goal can be attributed much more to the centre-halves than Maitland-Niles.

Throughout this match, Maitland-Niles displayed his natural talent. It was his inherent abilities — positional play, speed, nose for danger, movement off the ball — that were so encouraging. This is an extremely intelligent and talented player. I am very much looking forward to seeing more of him in the coming years.