The main talking points and moments missed from Chelsea’s 1-1 stalemate with Arsenal on Sunday evening in a thrilling Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea vs Arsenal was very much built up to be Moises Caicedo vs Declan Rice. There was one clear winner of that battle – and it was neither of them.
That doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, but for those that were fortunate enough to watch Chelsea’s gripping 1-1 draw with the Premier League leaders Arsenal, it was clear to see Reece James won the midfield battle.
The Blues captain, who started in the middle of the pitch while Malo Gusto was at right-back, produced a Man of the Match display at Stamford Bridge. At times, James was putting the weight of the whole side on his shoulders, carrying them forward. A real captain’s performance.
Eleven out of 12 duels won, four fouls won and two chances created – with one assist as well – contributed to an inspiring showing from the England international. A right-back outshone two of the world’s very best in midfield. And while James was the clear winner, it was clear Caicedo was the loser.
The Ecuadorian, who has been virtually faultless this season, was extremely rash with a dangerous challenge on Mikel Merino. The referee, Anthony Taylor, had no choice but to change the colour of the card he showed from yellow to red. That was a huge blow for Chelsea because, as Enzo Maresca said post-match, the Blues very much looked the better of the two sides with 11v11 on the pitch.
“I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one point,” explained Maresca. “For sure, the target was to win the game. Again, 11v11, I think we were a better team than them. We managed the game, we controlled the game, we created chances and we didn’t concede anything. Then the red card changed a little bit the dynamic, but even with that, I think the way the players dealt with that and were outstanding.”
Inevitably, though, when you have a man less, and you come up against one of the most in form teams on the continent, you will start to suffer. Chelsea did, but they did it head on. The young side stuck at their task and produced a fine defensive display, while maintaining a threat on the counter.
They remained aggressive after Caicedo’s red card, but did so legally. One particular moment that showed Chelsea’s aggression and determination was on 81 minutes when Marc Cucurella, who spent the majority of the game on a yellow card, tackled his former teammate Noni Madueke. The ex-Blues winger then fell to the ground, only to be shouted at by not one, but two, of his former colleagues – with Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez both taunting the England international.
Elsewhere, it was great to see Cole Palmer back at Stamford Bridge. The 23-year-old, who hasn’t played any competitive football in over two months, was named on the bench for the draw with the Gunners. And while he didn’t get on the pitch, he made sure he made his feelings to referee Anthony Taylor known.
As the players and officials were coming out for the second-half, Palmer was giving Taylor an earful – presumably for not giving Piero Hincapie a red card for a clear elbow on Trevoh Chalobah. The Arsenal defender left one in on the Chelsea centre-back, leaving him with a bruise around his eye and he has since taken to social media with a photo of him holding ice around the area.
Palmer was absolutely fuming with Taylor, who along with Madueke, was public enemy number one at Stamford Bridge. Maresca, too, believes Hincapie should have been sent off: “The Trevoh one, I asked the referee, he said to me that it was not an elbow. So, this is what they said. [He had a] black eye, with ice at half-time. But they judge in different way.”
Take the fume away, and there are so many positives from a Chelsea perspective. Toe-to-toe with the Premier League and Champions League leaders, outplaying them when it was 11v11, and some outstanding individual displays. Leeds United next.
