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Photo from Freepik
Morning all.
The last few days had drawn most of the attention away from yesterday’s clash at the noisy neighbours in Fulham Broadway. The demolition of Tottenham last weekend and the welcome blitz of Bayern in midweek had left us all on cloud nine. But, we knew it was only two thirds of the job done, only part of the message to the North-West with the visit to Stamford Bridge – the final sign that this Arsenal team are on the march to a new level. The team knew it, they want to win every game.
The injury news concerning Trossard camouflaged a late knock on Saliba. He still travelled with the team so his omission seemed more of a precaution but when did Arsenal last line up without Big Bill and King Gabby? Probably a League Cup tie this season but it certainly wasn’t a Premier League game, but no panic by Arteta who pivoted and in stepped Mosquera and Hincapie the understudies and it was business as usual. Well up to a point!
The Chelsea manager obviously took note of how Sunderland approached their recent home game against Arsenal and thus Chelsea went full Stoke City with a raft of over-physical challenges early in the game and beyond which the referee maybe should have been more strict with. Arsenal finishing the game with 6 players on yellow cards and Chelsea with just one yellow besides Caicedo’s red it made you scratch your head.
Cucurella left a bit on Saka in the opening minutes as a kind of welcome to Stamford Bridge, it was a yellow card all day but the referee declined to act and that’s how the game progressed. Arsenal showed their maturity by finishing with XI on the pitch, Chelsea played reckless football and a referee trying to keep the game moving but ultimately failing as we shall see. Three yellow cards in the opening 12 minutes set the standard, Arsenal were punished to the max with two yellows, Chelsea less so with Cucurella on a yellow, a player you’d love to punch.
Saka had the first shot on target during this period but the smooth football was absent from the Gunners as we got drawn into an WWE style contest from Chelsea and that suited them.
The in-your-face tactics meant that Arsenal’s composure wasn’t at its highest which allowed the Chavs a few chances, mainly falling to Estavao who wasted them with wild shots over the bar. Wild shots to match their wild football. Rice was forced into a deeper role assisting the new centre back partnership whilst Eze was not really putting his stamp on the game. He was dispossessed a few times, arguably by foul challenges but he had to be stronger because the referee wasn’t interested so waving his hands in the air was pointless.
There were a few scrambles in the Arsenal penalty area but Raya didn’t have a difficult save to make as Timber and Rice were prominent with a number of top class challenges. Meanwhile Caicedo was walking a thin line with his manager to blame no doubt by winding-him-up too much. Arsenal failed to really create a lot in the first half up to the main talking point.
Merino, who had played manfully up until around the early 30th minute, was on the receiving end of a reckless lunge by Caicedo who went over the ball on the Spaniard and could have caused him some serious damage. After what seemed like an endless and never ending VAR check which should have only taken a minute, Caicedo was sent off. He thoroughly deserved his red card which added to the previous 6 reds a clearly undisciplined Chelsea had received this season.
It was the 38th minute when the Chelsea man slumped off and Arsenal came close once during that and added time. A great driving run by Rice who exchanged passes before putting Martinelli in on goal, but Sanchez saved and the game continued in its disrupted form with Chelsea trying to get an Arsenal player sent off to even things up.
A signpost for future matches between the clubs perhaps?
H/T and breathe.
At half-time Arteta took Calafiori out of the firing line, he was on a yellow after all but maybe he’s still not 100%. Myles Lewis Skelly replaced him and promptly got a yellow himself in the early moments of the 2nd 45. Neto was a constant threat with his pace and credit to Chelsea, they didn’t look a man down and still competed hard. Then from a corner Chelsea scored with a header and the balance of the game shifted as Arsenal now needed two goals to win and that wasn’t going to be easy. Too many over hit passes, misdirected crosses and loose control up front saw promising patterns of play wither on the vine.
Arteta acted, on 58 minutes on came Odegaard for Zubimendi and Madueke for Martinelli, although neither really made the required impact and it eventually was down to two of our players who had actually started the game to break our deadlock. Saka finally got clear of the Cucurella limpet to get a good cross into the box and our old war horse Merino headed home. It looked so simple but had taken us an hour.
From then on Arsenal probed without really looking likely to pierce the Chelsea defence who were resolute whilst their attackers remained dangerous on the break.
No point over-stretching, if you can’t win the game then don’t lose!
Gyokeres came on on 72, very welcome, and would have got an unlikely winner if Timber hadn’t got in the way but this niggly game fizzled out with Chelsea obviously looking the happier playing almost an hour with ten men whilst Arsenal players left the pitch shaking their heads.
A Stamford Bridge too far perhaps?
We march on…
**By Kev**