LONDON, England — Arsenal lost more ground in the Premier League title race on Sunday as Pedro Neto‘s 70th-minute equaliser secured Chelsea a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Gunners head into the international break nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool, and below the third-placed Blues on goal difference, after Neto’s superb 20-yard drive cancelled out Gabriel Martinelli‘s 60th-minute opener.
Declan Rice was named in the visitors’ line-up despite suffering a broken toe last weekend and Martin Ødegaard made his first start for the club since Aug. 31 after an ankle injury. While Cole Palmer shook off a knee problem to feature for Chelsea and almost opened the scoring in the second minute with a fierce long-range drive which forced goalkeeper David Raya into a fine save.
Kai Havertz had a 32nd-minute strike ruled out for a tight offside call on VAR review. And, after Martinelli and Neto struck, both sides searched for a late winner in a pulsating encounter. Leandro Trossard blazed over, before later diverting William Saliba‘s stoppage-time cross wide in a miss that brought Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to his knees on the touchline. A point doesn’t really help either side. — James Olley
The Gunners had used a 4-4-2 system of late without Ødegaard, but reverted to a single pivot in midfield with Thomas Partey detailed to keep Palmer quiet in his No. 10 role.
In the 19th-minute, Palmer turned away from Partey with ease to set up a counter attack in which Madueke headed Neto’s cross off target, but as the half wore on, Palmer’s influence receded and he was left to drift wide or deep to receive the ball.
The England international ended with four shots, all coming before the 48th minute, and although Arsenal did not secure the win they were looking for, they will take a degree of satisfaction from how quiet they kept one of the league’s most in-form attacking players. — Olley
Havertz plays pantomime villain
Havertz wasn’t welcomed back with open arms at Stamford Bridge. The memories of him scoring Chelsea’s winner in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City seem from another life. Instead, having joined Arsenal in the summer of 2023 for £67.5 million, Havertz spent his time back on his old turf winding up the Chelsea fans, and they gave it back to him in equal measure.
Havertz thought he’d punished his old paymasters with a neat goal after 31 minutes, following a quickly taken free-kick by Declan Rice, and celebrated by raising his finger to his lips in a “shush” gesture in front of the Matthew Harding Stand. But the goal was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside, and those in blue delighted in Havertz’s misfortune.
One of the abiding images from this match will be Havertz’s bloodied face in the second half after he opened up the cut to his head he sustained in midweek against Inter Milan. The Germany international was reluctant to go off, and was eventually dispatched to the sideline to get patched up, riling referee Michael Oliver enough to get a yellow card for his troubles. But he ended the game on his knees, exasperated in Chelsea’s six-yard box, as White’s cross missed him by inches as he threatened to score the latest of winners. — Tom Hamilton
