Arsenal will certainly be disappointed for not being able to take advantage of the advantage of playing with one more player since the 38th minute after Moises Caicedo was sent off, but the reality shows that they are not the better team at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea, despite being short-handed, still maintained their pressing intensity, discipline and many times created a level playing situation, even causing many difficulties for Mikel Arteta's team.
The Gunners have been without both key centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes - just the second time in 162 domestic games they have failed to feature together. And that makes Arsenal's fragile defense look solid. Mikel Arteta's team even faced the risk of having only 10 players when receiving 6 yellow cards in a match that was quite boring and tight.
Leandro Trossard continues to be absent after his midweek injury, while attackers such as Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres have yet to find their best form. That left Arsenal lacking the necessary sharpness at decisive moments, despite playing with one more man for most of the match.
This was clearly shown when Arsenal had difficulty maintaining the attacking tempo throughout the match in west London. Chelsea are in good form and even with only 10 men, they still create many challenges for the "Gunners". Keeping the 6-point gap with The Blues - although Arsenal could have aimed for a victory before the match - is certainly not a bad result for Mikel Arteta and his team.
It was a plus point in terms of results, but Arsenal still felt they were dropping 2 points if looking at the situation of the match. However, when things are calm, they will definitely consider this a positive result.
This draw comes at a time when Arsenal have just had an emotional week of competition, with resounding victories over Tottenham and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The tight schedule and psychological pressure have partly revealed themselves at Stamford Bridge.
"It's an important week. An emotional derby full of determination to win, then followed by the match against Bayern Munich. We have lost many players in those games and the whole team has had to adapt. However, it is still a positive week, because the difficulties we have to overcome are huge" - Mikel Arteta said.
Although they could not find the decisive goal to end a perfect week, maintaining an unbeaten record through 3 difficult matches is certainly a positive signal for the "Gunners". Mikel Arteta's side have extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17.
In the Premier League alone, Stamford Bridge continues to be another big challenge for Arsenal to overcome. They have visited Old Trafford, Anfield, St James' Park and now Stamford Bridge - the most difficult courses in the league. However, Arsenal still maintain a 5-point gap at the top of the table, and Mikel Arteta knows very well that his team must be ready for all challenges ahead.
