Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta expressed delight in his crew’s resilience after securing a hard-fought 1-1 draw towards Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, regardless of a rising damage checklist and fatigue from a demanding week.
Mikel Merino’s 59th-minute equaliser rescued a degree for the league leaders, who have been pushed to the restrict by a decided Chelsea aspect. The hosts continued to battle even after Moises Caicedo’s Thirty eighth-minute dismissal and took the lead early within the second half by means of Trevoh Chalobah’s header.
Arsenal have been compelled to start out the match with out key centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for the primary time this season, whereas Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard have been unavailable or solely match sufficient for the bench. Arteta highlighted the issue of the circumstances following an intense seven-day stretch that included a derby win over Tottenham and a Champions League victory towards Bayern Munich.
Arteta admitted the crew felt they’d sufficient probabilities to win however pressured the significance of incomes respect for his or her efficiency beneath strain. Saliba’s health stays a priority forward of the upcoming fixture towards Brentford.
Chelsea supervisor Enzo Maresca acknowledged Caicedo’s purple card however questioned inconsistencies in refereeing selections, pointing to previous incidents involving opponents. He additionally voiced frustration over Piero Hincapie’s problem on Chalobah, which resulted in solely a yellow card regardless of seen damage.
Maresca praised Reece James’ efficiency in midfield however confirmed the participant is unlikely to function towards Leeds because of ongoing health administration.
