Mikel Arteta was denied a perfect end to an otherwise brilliant week when his Gunners couldn’t take full advantage of a Chelsea red card in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Gunners came into the Week 13 match after convincing defeats of Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.
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A card-happy first-half saw four yellows to Arsenal, a yellow to Chelsea, and a VAR-upgraded red card to Moises Caicedo in the 38th minute, giving the Gunners well over 50 minutes with a man advantage.
But it was Chelsea who scored after halftime when Trevoh Chalobah headed Reece James’ service inside the far post, giving Arsneal 42 minutes to find an equalizer.
They didn’t need that long, as Mikel Merino leveled the score, but a winner would take much more effort and did not materialize for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta reaction to Arsenal’s scrap with Chelsea
Thoughts on the game: “A really tough one, two teams that play with a lot of intensity, aggression, will. You could sense in every tackle how much was at stake. The game started to settle and after the red card we needed to settle, we conceded in the first action after halftime.”
Did you expect it to be so physical? “For sure because of what is at stake? Two teams fighting for the Premier League, so it’s normal.”
How did you address red card danger at halftime? “We had four players with yellow cards and you could see they were attacking those players to get the game even. I knew the one most at risk was [Calafiori] that’s why I had to take him out because they could attack him with Estevao or Neto.”
Were you disappointed to concede off a corner? “I was, especially with the first free kick the way we conceded it. That’s a really good team. They’ve scored seven goals from corners, we’ve scored eight.”
What did you make of Caicedo’s challenge? “It was really fast in the beginning. I saw the reaction — he’s off, he’s off. Anthony made the call and I think it was the right one.”
Did you run out of gas at end of this big week? “It was a lot of factors to this contest. It’s been a massive week, emotionally, physically. We lost two very important players, we had one day less rest, and we came to Stamford Bridge where they just beat Barcelona, one of the best teams. With 10 men, we want to win.”
“We have another game on Wednesday and we have to prepare really well for a tough opponent like Brentford and then the next one is Aston Villa. We know what it is.”
Arteta reacts to Arsenal’s intense draw v. Chelsea
Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Robbie Mustoe react to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s comments following Arsenal’s draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Mikel Merino reaction to Caicedo red card, draw, scrappy game
Thoughts on the game: “On one hand disappointed because we didn’t win. When you wear this shirt you want to win every game. On the other hand we know this is going to be a long, long season and this is a tough stadium to come. We’ll take the points. We could’ve done better.”
What could you have done better? “Maybe managing the game a little bit better. understanding what they are tyring to do, how they are pressing, better attacking spaces. With 10 men, maybe a little more patience with the ball — trying to find the wings and trying to elaborate a bit more with crosses and trying to threaten a bit more. They are a good side but we keep going and try to win the next game.”
What did you see on Caicedo’s challenge? Did you think you were severely hurt? “I felt my ankle go the other way but luckily I have very mobile ankles on my body. I knew it was a horrible challenge and red card.”
Why was the game so physical? “This Premier League is really strong. Every team is very strong in every duel. That’s why you see so many goals in transition. If you win a duel and a second action, you can attack. I think that’s why you saw a game with so many challenges and transitions.”
