Coming up against an in-form Arsenal team, there’s no doubt that Chelsea were outsiders on Sunday, even at home.
They didn’t play like it though – even when down to ten men. Hearing Joao Pedro speak to Chelsea TV after the game, it’s clear that there was a point to prove in the Blues dressing room.
Defiant Joao Pedro always confident that “good players” could earn a point
Trevoh Chalobah heads in against Arsenal.
Trevoh Chalobah heads in against Arsenal.
“We are Chelsea and we have good players. So when we have the ball [even with ten men], we try to do something with it and show our power,” the striker said.
“With a player less, it’s always tough but we were still able to score the first goal. Of course, against Arsenal, it’s always difficult, and with a player less than them we conceded the equaliser. But it was a positive point for us and we showed our commitment and quality.”
JP didn’t get much of the ball, but he made one of the few crucial attacking interventions of the game when he directed a header from a set piece at goal, forcing a save from David Raya.
That generated a corner, which moments later Reece James was whipping onto the head of Trevoh Chalobah to score.
You can see the striker speaking in the clip embedded here, with these words coming after 2 minutes:
In other Chalobah news…
Chalobah was immense for Chelsea at the back in the draw, and his stats from the game show just how good he was, keeping a physical Arsenal team at bay even with his team down to ten men.
The defender also spoke about the game in a way which shows just how far their belief has come in the space of a year. They rose to the challenge rather than folding.
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