Mikel Arteta has spoken very highly of Chelsea following his side’s game against them at the Emirates on Sunday.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 thanks to goals from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber. They were also helped by Pedro Neto’s red card, the Blues’ ninth of the season.
Nevertheless, Arteta was still impressed with what he saw from Liam Rosenior’s team.
Who deserves the blame for Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League defeat?
Rosenior? Pedro Neto? Robert Sanchez?
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Mikel Arteta says Chelsea are good at ‘turning tight spaces’
Arteta thinks Chelsea are great at getting out of tight spots and are never truly beaten until the very end of a game.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the full-time whistle, the Arsenal boss said: “The moment you have them there and you think you are going to win it and they get out of it. Chelsea are so good at turning tight spaces.
“They have a lot of players against our big centre-backs that can twist the game and cause you problems. They are a top side.”
Mikel Arteta manager / head coach of Arsenal waves
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
The Gunners really needed the three points to keep Manchester City at bay in the title race, but so did Chelsea.
The Club World Cup winners were already falling behind in the race for Champions League qualification and have now suffered another blow.
They are currently sixth in the Premier League table, three points behind Liverpool in fifth. The good news is that fifth spot may be enough to earn Champions League football next season, but Chelsea have no chance of finishing there if they end every match with 10 men.
Stats show how even Arsenal and Chelsea affair was
Chelsea were quite unfortunate to lose. In the end, they lost because of two set-pieces that were defended badly by Robert Sanchez.
Liam Rosenior has claimed that Pedro Neto was a threat before his red card 🤔
Pedro Neto's stats vs Arsenal
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
On the afternoon, the Blues actually had more possession than their opponents. According to Sofascore, Chelsea’s ball possession was 59%, while Arsenal’s was 41%.
Arsenal’s xG was slightly higher, registering 1.13 to Chelsea’s 1.05, but both teams created two big chances.
Ultimately, had Sanchez been a bit stronger from set pieces and Neto not been so silly, the Conference League holders could have easily returned to Stamford Bridge with at least a point.
Going forward, they have to do better there and in the discipline department. They have almost reached double figures for red cards, which is ridiculous.
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