Chelsea overcame a 38th minute red card for Moises Caicedo as they held on for a 1-1 draw against runaway league leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
It was a feisty affair which saw four yellow cards (one for Chelsea, three for Arsenal) before Caicedo was sent for a studs-on-shins challenge on Mikel Merino.
Until then, Chelsea had the best of the action, with wunderkind Estevao dominating proceedings and the midfield of Caicedo and Reece James controlling the tempo and intensity of the game.
Enzo Maresca didn’t shut up shop right after the red (like he had at Old Trafford earlier this season) and that decision paid dividends in the second half. A vicious inswinging corner from James — who was excellent on the night — saw Trevoh Chalobah flick it on from the near post to the far corner with a superb header in the 48th minute.
Arsenal rang in the changes, bringing on former Chelsea player Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard for Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Zubimendi and that soon saw the match swing
Arsenal’s way again. Bukayo Saka took on Marc Cucurella, squared him up and then skinned him on the outside before standing one up for Merino to nod home from close range.
Chelsea then held on brilliantly even as Arsenal laid siege on the Chelsea box and had some chances of their own before the final whistle blew.
Speaking to broadcasters afterwards, man of the match James said, “It is obviously disappointing to only come out with one point,” a clear indication of Chelsea’s mentality tonight, before adding, “I thought today was a big statement… you could see wanted the win. There are a lot of positives to take from this result.”
