Chelsea and Arsenal played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
It was a tense and exciting match with both teams aspiring to close the gap on Manchester City who lost at the weekend.
And the Gunners seized the initiative, striking on the 60-minute mark through Gabriel Martinelli, who beat Robert Sanchez at his near post.
But a few minutes later, the hosts responded.
Pedro Neto grabbed his first Premier League goal since joining Chelsea to tie things up in West London.
In the end, a draw was a fair result and moves both teams slightly closer to second-placed City.
But Liverpool now have a nine-point gap to the pair as we head to the international break.
Read on to discover how things unfolded in the match.
It ends all square. #CFC | #CHEARS pic.twitter.com/RH8A1rKtVE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 10, 2024
How it happened
The first half unfolded as a tactical battle, with both sides probing for openings but lacking the cutting edge to capitalise.
Chelsea came closest to an early breakthrough when Cole Palmer’s powerful long-range strike tested Arsenal keeper David Raya, who reacted well to tip the shot over the bar.
The Blues seemed to edge the half, utilising the width provided by Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto, but their efforts lacked any precision.
Arsenal responded with a chance of their own as Gabriel Martinelli found space on the left and forced a sharp save from Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez.
The match remained tense and cagey, with physical battles across the midfield. Chelsea’s Gusto missed a golden opportunity, nodding a Pedro Neto cross over the bar from close range, much to the dismay of the home fans.
Controversy struck in the 32nd minute as Kai Havertz thought he had given Arsenal the lead against his former club.
A quick free-kick saw Declan Rice slip a pass to Havertz, who finished past Sanchez. However, VAR intervened, ruling Havertz marginally offside, and the goal was chalked off, leaving the scoreline goalless at the break.
The second half started with renewed intensity from Chelsea.
Nicolas Jackson led a series of attacks, encouraged by an animated Stamford Bridge crowd.
Arsenal, however, were resilient, gradually growing into the game and pushing forward with more urgency.
GABIIIIIIIII
Martinelli latches onto Odegaard’s brilliant pass before slotting home at the near post 🤩
🔵 0-1 🔴 (60) pic.twitter.com/FcdBQX2aaQ
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 10, 2024
Finally, in the 60th minute, Arsenal broke the deadlock. Martin Odegaard, returning to the starting lineup, showcased his creativity with a delicate lobbed ball to Martinelli at the back post.
The Brazilian winger controlled expertly and fired past Sanchez from a tight angle, putting the Gunners 1-0 up and igniting the away supporters.
Chelsea were quick to respond, and ten minutes later, they found their equalizer.
Enzo Fernandez capitalised on Arsenal’s lack of defensive organization, threading a pass to Pedro Neto, who struck a fierce drive past Raya from just outside the box.
Neto’s equaliser marked his first Premier League goal for Chelsea since joining, and Stamford Bridge erupted in celebration as the score leveled at 1-1.
The final stages of the match saw Arsenal pressing hard to reclaim their lead.
Substitute Leandro Trossard missed a golden opportunity in the 87th minute when he skied a close-range effort after a clever pull-back from Odegaard. Moments later, Trossard was again denied, his shot flying just wide of the target, with Havertz lurking behind and ready to pounce.
In added time, Arsenal continued to search for a winner, working the ball down the left side with William Saliba driving a low cross across Chelsea’s goal. Trossard was inches away from tapping it in, but the chance went begging, and Chelsea escaped with the point they had fought hard for.
