Enzo Maresca’s side drew 1-1 with the Premier League leaders despite Moises Caicedo’s dismissal.
Reece James applauds the Chelsea fans after the draw with Arsenal (John Walton/PA)open image in gallery
Reece James applauds the Chelsea fans after the draw with Arsenal (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)
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Chelsea captain Reece James believes his “dominant” side made a statement in holding Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 1-1 draw despite losing Moises Caicedo to a first-half red card.
The Blues had been the better team at Stamford Bridge prior to the sending-off of Caicedo in the 36th minute for a studs-up tackle on the ankle of Mikel Merino, then battled successfully with 10 men to prevent the visitors getting on top.
Enzo Maresca’s side were effectively fighting to stay in the early title race, knowing defeat would leave them nine points adrift.
They showed their credentials by taking the lead through Trevor Chalobah’s header early in the second half despite being a man down.
Merino equalised for Arsenal just before the hour but thereafter they were limited to half-chances as Chelsea dug in and held out in difficult circumstances.
“We dominated the game in every area throughout, with 11 men and 10 men,” said James.
“I think that was a big statement on where we are and what we’re fighting for. We’ve come a long way, we’re building on result after result and I think we showed that today.”
There was an organisation and resilience about Chelsea that had been missing on the two previous occasions this season when they had gone down to 10 in the first half.
Against Manchester United in September when Robert Sanchez was dismissed after five minutes, then again a week later when Chalobah was red-carded against Brighton just after half-time, they never looked like recovering their shape, going on to lose meekly in both matches.
In Sunday’s derby however they stood up manfully to the league leaders, matching their will to win with an unshakable desire not to be beaten.
“I’m proud,” said James. “The team is so young but we went toe to toe with the team at the top of the Premier League. We didn’t show fear and we tried to come out to win.
“We knew it was going to be tough but it was a game we felt we probably could have won. It was difficult to only walk away with a point. We played 60 minutes with 10 men, having to cope with the league leaders.”
For Arsenal, the draw saw them finish the weekend five points clear of Manchester City, who leapfrogged Chelsea into second with their victory over Leeds on Saturday.
Captain Martin Odegaard, a second-half substitute after returning from a knee injury, reflected on a tough end to a week that had seen them register significant wins against Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
“It’s been a massive week for us,” he said. “Some big games, some big results. This was another big test for us. We wanted to come here and finish off the week with a win but it was a tough battle.
“They were fighting really hard for it and we didn’t do enough to win.”