Arsenal are now four games without victory in the Premier League after only managing a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
There was nothing to separate the London foes during an engaging first half, with neither side able to produce the finishing touch to match the energy and intensity of an end-to-end affair.
Gabriel Martinelli had fired Arsenal in front after an hour but Pedro Neto responded with an excellent strike from the edge of the area as the points were shared in west London.
How the game unfolded
Chelsea were handed an enormous boost before kick-off as talisman Cole Palmer was passed fit for a crunch London derby despite an injury scare. The England international almost made his presence felt within the opening three minutes, forcing David Raya into a fingertip save from a swerving 25-yard strike.
Arsenal were also relieved to see the return of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to their starting lineup at Stamford Bridge, with both providing an element of control for the Gunners during the early stages in a cacophonous capital atmosphere.
The opening 25 minutes were played at a frenetic pace and both sides spurned promising opportunities midway through the first period. Malo Gusto inexplicably headed over the crossbar from six yards before Gabriel Martinelli stung Robert Sanchez’s palm at the other end. A warning sign for both defences.
A familiar face thought he had broken the deadlock for the visitors in the 32nd minute, former Chelsea striker Kai Havertz poking home after an intelligent quick free kick from Declan Rice. However, after a two-minute VAR review, the German’s effort was disallowed for a marginal offside to the relief of the home crowd.
An evenly-split first half came to a cagey conclusion but it was Arsenal who snuck in front 15 minutes after the restart. Odegaard’s dinked cross into the box was collected by Martinelli, who side-footed past Sanchez at the near post to bring the Gunners’ two-game goal drought to an end.
However, Arsenal’s lead lasted just ten minutes. The indefatigable Neto, who had moved to the right flank following Mykhailo Mudryk’s introduction, waltzed into space and was picked out by Enzo Fernandez before rattling an exquisite finish low and hard beyond the helpless Raya.
Half-chances came and went for both sides, with neither keen to commit too many bodies in the final third, but Sanchez and Raya were seldom stretched into saves. Late substitutions took the sting out of the tie as both teams settled for a hard-fought point, although Leandro Trossard missed a glorious opportunity to win it for the Gunners with the final kick of the game.
Neither will be overly concerned with dropping points at Stamford Bridge, with Arsenal bringing their two-game losing run to a close and Chelsea securing a valuable point against elite opposition despite being below their best.
GK: Robert Sanchez – 5/10 – Set nerves jangling around Stamford Bridge with his distribution following some shaky displays this season and was beaten too easily at his near post by Martinelli.
RB: Malo Gusto – 6/10 – The wrong man in the right place as he fired a header over the frame of the goal from Chelsea’s best first-half opening. Offered attacking thrust but was absent as Martinelli opened the scoring.
CB: Wesley Fofana – 7/10 – The most imposing of Chelsea’s defensive unit and was regularly called upon to deny Arsenal’s attacking talent.
CB: Levi Colwill – 6/10 – Booked early doors for a scissor challenge on Saka but steadied himself afterwards. Played Martinelli onside as Arsenal went ahead.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 8/10 – Stifled Saka during the first half and coped well with the fleet-footed winger after the break.
DM: Moises Caicedo – 7/10 – Continued his impressive form at the base of midfield, looking comfortable in and out of possession. Rarely misplaced a pass throughout.
DM: Romeo Lavia – 6/10 – Not as involved on or off the ball as his midfield partner Caicedo but produced a competent display to limit space through the middle.
RW: Noni Madueke – 6/10 – Performed his defensive duties with admirable vigour but failed to make any significant impact in the final third.
AM: Cole Palmer – 6/10 – Struggled to influence proceedings during the first half bar one terrific dipping shot from range. Showed glimpses of his quality after the break without ever sparkling.
LW: Pedro Neto – 8/10 – Enjoyed a back-and-forth battle with Ben White, which he won more often than not. Equalised with a sumptuous strike as persistence paid off.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – 6/10 – Stretched Arsenal’s midfield and defence with his powerful runs but his influence waned in the closing stages.
Substitutes
SUB: Enzo Fernandez (68′ for Lavia) – 7/10
SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (68′ for Madueke) – 6/10
SUB: Reece James (82′ for Gusto) – 6/10
SUB: Christopher Nkunku (88′ for Jackson) – N/A
Subs not used: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Renato Veiga, Joao Felix.
Manager
Enzo Maresca – 6/10 – Maresca will likely be pleased with a hard-fought draw against a fully-fit Arsenal XI but he may have wanted a little more urgency and quality from his side in and around the penalty area.
GK: David Raya – 6/10 – Protected by his defence and was reliable when called upon inside his penalty area. Neto’s effort was comfortably beyond his reach.
RB: Ben White – 5/10 – Tussled with Neto down the right-hand side but never had control of the battle, even picking up a booking for a needless off the ball collision. Looked better when the Portuguese winger swapped sides.
CB: William Saliba – 7/10 – A composed performance from the Frenchman, who read the game well and was reliable in possession.
CB: Gabriel – 6/10 – Largely coped well with Chelsea’s star-studded forward line and was left exposed by an absent midfield as Neto produced the leveller down his side.
LB: Jurrien Timber – 6/10 – Managed to keep Madueke quiet for the most part but was posed a mightier challenge by Neto after the break.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 7/10 – The Norwegian’s first start since early September and his ingenuity created Arsenal’s opener. Not the most influential performance of his career but a steady return.
CM: Thomas Partey – 5/10 – Having impressed in recent weeks, this was a slightly disappointing performance from Partey. Offered Arsenal little on the ball and wasn’t overly convincing defensively.
CM: Declan Rice – 6/10 – Deemed fit enough to start after his recent injury scare, putting in a solid if unspectacular display on his return to the team.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 6/10 – Underwhelmed during the first half as he struggled to best Cucurella but grew into proceedings. Still, the usually exceptional winger was a little off the pace here.
ST: Kai Havertz – 6/10 – Came within inches of opening the scoring with a clever toe-poke in the first half only to be foiled by VAR. Didn’t see much of the ball in the number nine position.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10 – Notably Arsenal’s brightest attacker as he scored a clever goal to relieve some pressure on a misfiring forward line. Looked lively throughout despite not being at his best.
Substitutions
SUB: Mikel Merino (71′ for Rice) – 7/10
SUB: Leandro Trossard (71′ for Martinelli) – 5/10
SUB: Gabriel Jesus (81′ for Saka) – 6/10
Subs not used: Neto (GK), Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Jorginho.
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 6/10 – The Spaniard’s side stopped the rot but it was far from a convincing display from the Gunners, who still look a shadow of their best selves.
Player of the match: Pedro Neto (Chelsea)
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