The London derby was tense from the start with 4 yellow cards in just 27 minutes before Moises Caicedo was sent off. VAR determined that Chelsea midfielder had a dangerous tackle on Mikel Merino.
Arsenal will not have the central defender duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes - the first time they have been absent since August 2021. This lack left the Gunners' defense vulnerable, and they soon conceded a goal from a set piece. Trevoh Chalobah jumped high to head the ball after Reece James' cross, opening the scoring in the 48th minute.
Although Merino equalized in the 59th minute, Arsenal could not find another goal. This draw caused them to be reduced to just 5 points by Manchester City - the team that beat Leeds United the day before, while Chelsea dropped to third.
This is the real London derby
A week after Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby - considered the biggest match of the city - Chelsea and Arsenal continued to bring a truly fierce match at Stamford Bridge. They showed why this confrontation was the most worth-watching match in the capital.
Both entered the match with high form, great confidence and a clear desire for the Premier League title race.
Despite having a short period of sublimation under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham have never been a true championship candidate. The derbies between Spurs and Arsenal are mostly historic and emotional, rather than a direct competition for titles.
Chelsea is a completely different story. Since Arsenal last won the Premier League in 2004, the Blues have won five Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and the FIFA Club World Cup. With such a huge record, Chelsea consider themselves a true "big guy" of London - a position that Arsenal have held for decades. Therefore, every time the two teams meet, the atmosphere is always as tense as a played String.
This match also fully gathered all the elements of a big match: the pace of tension, fierce tackles, a red card, a series of fierce challenges and not a single moment of relaxation.
Although the match ended in a draw, Chelsea left the field feeling they had held back Arsenal's progress in the championship race, while relighting their own hope. On the contrary, Mikel Arteta's team showed resilience to regain a valuable point in the absence of two key central defenders.
Arsenal lead the championship race but lack killed- instinct
After 13 rounds, The Gunners still created a safe distance from the chasing group. But it will probably be a regret when the "Gunners" cannot make the most of the advantage against Chelsea, even though the opponent has to play with 10 men for 52 minutes.
Arsenal continue to show their steadyness and stability, clearly the best team in the league this season. However, a worrying point is that they have yet to win against their direct opponents.
Liverpool beat Arsenal in August, while Man City struggled away to the Emirates in September, the Gunners have only earned one point thanks to an extra-minute equaliser. In that match, the "Gunners" only had 8 shots and an expected goals (xG) of 1.18, showing that the opportunities created were quite limited.
Arteta's move for Mikel Merino to start is considered reasonable, as he was the one who headed the equalizer for Arsenal in the 59th minute. He also repeatedly rotated his attack tactics, sending Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres (in the last 18 minutes) onto the pitch, but the home team still dropped points.
This may not be too serious at the moment, when the tournament is gradually taking shape, and maintaining a winning streak against weaker teams may be enough. However, defeating direct opponents is still a top priority if Arsenal want to defend their top spot for a long time.
Chelsea's lack of discipline
Chelsea's red card streak at the beginning of the season has temporarily calmed down, but the problem of lack of discipline has rebounded in a damaging way in this match.
Referee Anthony Taylor may have added to the tension when he gave Martin Zubimendi a yellow card in the 5th minute, causing every subsequent tackle to be closely watched and accompanied by cries for a penalty from fans.
Both bench clearly felt the advantage that could be won, especially when Arteta was very enthusiastic throughout the match. The result was a four-way yellow card in just the first 27 minutes.
However, even given the stress factor, there was no excuse for Caicedo's rough tackle on Merino, causing Chelsea to play with one less player in the 38th minute. This move did not seem intentional but led to a serious injury to Merino's ankle.
Including the incident of coach Enzo Maresca being sent off in the match against Liverpool, this was the seventh time Chelsea have received a red card this season. However, Chelsea still showed resilience with the excellent performances of Reece James and Enzo Fernandez in midfield. However, their efforts to win all 3 points against the top team have certainly been seriously affected by the disadvantage in terms of numbers.
