Contrary to initial predictions, the two prominent names in both teams' attack, Hazard and Sanchez, were both on the bench. It seems that Sanchez has not yet satisfied Coach Wenger after the transfer problems; As for Hazard, Conte may want to test his opponent first.
Starting with a slow start, both Chelsea and Arsenal understand the importance of this match, so both sides do not want to exert themselves early to avoid mistakes. It was not Chelsea but Arsenal who took the initiative in the first 20 minutes of the match with Lacazette and Welbeck blocking.
Although it happened at a not-so-high speed, dangerous collisions were something that fans saw 3 times in just the first 45 minutes. Lacazette, Moses and Pedro had to temporarily stop the match to get out of treatment. Fortunately for both sides, these names can still return to play in the full first half.
Early in the second half, Conte sent Bakayoko onto the pitch to replace Pedro, who was injured in the first half. With this addition, The Blues began to attack in search of an opening goal. If Koscielny had not used his face to block Luzi's "upside-down kick" in the 50th minute, the away team could have conceded a goal.
In the 64-67 minute, both Chelsea and Arsenal sent their two "trump cards" onto the field, Hazard and Sanchez, and the "Gunners" also brought Giroud onto the field to replace Welbeck, who was injured afterwards.
The pace of the match was further accelerated with the arrivals of Hazard and Sanchez. In the 75th minute, Mustafi put the ball into Chelsea's net from a close-range header, but the goal was disallowed because the German defender was offside.
Immediately after that, Hazard dribbled past 3 Arsenal defenders, launching a thunderous shot. Fortunately for the "Gunners", goalkeeper Cech correctly judged and stood right at the edge of the ball pointing into the top corner of the goal.
The turning point of the match came in the 87th minute when Chelsea's David Luiz received a second yellow card after a thorn-in against the away team's Kolasinac. Although playing with one more player, the remaining time was too little for the away team to find a goal. The two teams shared points in a goalless match.
