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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Dominic Booth

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Chelsea Arsenal Pedro Neto EPL Marc Cucurella Bukayo Saka Gabriel Martinelli Wesley Fofana Leo Trossard Enzo Fernández
Pedro Neto scores a brilliant equaliser for Chelsea!
Pedro Neto scores a brilliant equaliser for Chelsea! Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters

Right, here’s the match report from David Hytner at Stamford Bridge and with that, this minute-by-minute will close.

We now bid farewell to Premier League football for two weeks with the November international break to begin. It’s going to be a long old fortnight folks – here’s hoping you get by without that dose of domestic goodness. We’ll see you soon.

This was a key moment for Arsenal right at the death. Wow, wow.

Cucurella speaks about ‘winning’ the battle versus Bukayo Saka. It was about 50-50 in my book but there you go:

“We know he’s a special talent but I tried to give my all to the team, to do my job".

Neto and Cucurella chat to Sky Sports after the game.

Neto says Chelsea “are not as happy as we wanted to be … but it’s a good point against a good team”.

Cucurella agrees. “We need to keep going this way, we’re doing well, we need to try and push on,” he says.

Complain all you like about Mikel Arteta’s style but …

Cucurella received the broadcasters’ Man of the Match award but I cannot agree with that. Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo were Chelsea’s standout players, and it’s hard to look past the returning hero Martin Ødegaard when trying to pick out Arsenal’s best player.

FT: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

A breathless final half hour comes to a close, with both teams doing enough to earn a point but no more. Arsenal looked to have taken the initiative through Martinelli but were soon pegged back by Pedro Neto’s wonder-strike.

It was hard to call a winner from thereon in and so it ends all-square. Neither side will be particularly happy with that, although neither will be too displeased either.

It leaves Chelsea in third and Arsenal in fourth, level on points.

Updated

90 min + 4: The last chance of the game will most likely go to Chelsea. They’re attacking after winning a free-kick around 40 yards out.

It comes to nothing.

And then Arsenal have a great chance at the death with Saliba squaring from the left but nobody is there to tap it home. Trossard got a feint touch.

Updated

90 min + 3: Saliba is offside after Arsenal work the corner short. Now here come Chelsea … you can’t say they’re not giving it a go.

90 min + 2: Palmer nearly latches onto a tantalising ball by Neto, curled in with his left foot from the right. Not quite for Chelsea.

Then Arsenal win a corner after good play from Ødegaard. He’s been good on his return to the starting lineup.

90 min: It’s only five minutes to be added on.

Trossard may have been offside for that previous chance, but he would not have known that at the time. Chelsea are pushing here.

My bet is six added minutes. Let’s see …

89 min: Nkunku is on for Chelsea. Not long for him to make an impact.

88 min: It’s getting a bit messy and loose in possession again … but it’s Arsenal who have just squandered an almighty chance to win it. Leo Trossard, what have you done? The substitute has blazed over from six yards with the goal gaping.

Updated

87 min: With the darkness of a long November international break looming after this game finishes, a silver late ray of light from one of these two teams would be welcomed by the Premier League neutrals.

Of course, a point isn’t a terrible result for either side.

84 min: There’s some chaos in the Arsenal box, but Raya eventually hangs on after Jackson’s header.

Are we in for a grandstand finish here?

82 min: Reece James is on for Gusto as Chelsea switch things around at the back.

An email from Peter Oh matched my Neto pun.

He went with: “Chelsea’s high Net(o) spend policy is paying dividends.”

80 min: Concerning news for Arsenal on the injury front – again. Saka is sitting down on the ground, seemingly hurt.

Not sure if it was the clatter from Cucurella or something muscular. The Chelsea man has been booked, in any case. Gabriel Jesus has been quickly ushered on for Saka.

Updated

78 min: Partey gives it away cheaply to Gusto, with Jackson then racing down the right but crossing to nobody in particular.

It’s pretty open now, both teams sensing the chance to win it.

A Net(o) buster.

Nicolas Jackson has the ball in the net for Chelsea but he was an absolute mile offside. And he knew it.

Updated

75 min: Credit to both sides, here, the game looked like it was sliding away into the abyss, but they’ve pulled it back tremendously with two good goals and 20 minutes of excellent football.

74 min: Merino goes close again! This time he does actually make contact with it, as Sanchez sprawls to collect. Arsenal have responded to the Chelsea goal.

73 min: Mikel Merino, who is on for Arsenal in the place of Rice, almost has a tap-in for his first touch. The ball into the box just evaded the Spain international.

If anyone is in the vicinity of Gary Neville at Stamford Bridge, chuck him a Strepsil.

Pedro Neto had just tried a left-footed shot that was blocked… seconds later he decided to go again, lower, harder and more accurate this time, bursting the net behind Raya in the Arsenal goal. Maresca jumps for joy on the sidelines. Game on!

GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (Neto, 70)

Oh talk about a bolt from the blue! Maybe it is happening for Chelsea.

Pedro Neto with a thunderbolt from range!

Updated

70 min: Fofana drives forward from defence and Havertz – now sporting a black bandana – bundles into the back of the Frenchman.

Enzo hoists the resulting free-kick into the box and it’s Neto whose shot is deflected out for a corner in the end. Not quite happening for Chelsea here.

67 min: A delay in play will allow Chelsea to bring on Fernández and Mudryk, with Lavia – who’d picked up a knock – replaced, along with Madueke.

66 min: Arsenal win it high up, with Colwill caught in possession, and Chelsea look rather rattled at the moment. Timber then wriggles through midfield and unleashes a decent shot, which is whizzed just wide.

65 min: Maresca, you might need to utilise your embarrassment of riches on the bench some time soon. Nkunku? Félix? Enzo Fernández?

63 min: It was a goal that didn’t appear forthcoming, but surely it must now jolt Chelsea into life. They’d probably looked the more likely to break the deadlock …

Saka is finally getting some joy against Cucurella. And all the noise is now coming from the Arsenal contingent.

61 min: That came from some fine interplay between Partey and Ødegaard, with the latter dinking a delightful ball to Martinelli, who was in acres. The Brazilian ignores the passing option, which was Saka, and slips it past Sanchez at his near post.

GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal (Martinelli '60)

THERE’S THE SPARK THIS GAME NEEDED.

It’s superbly worked to the back post and Martinelli applies the cute finish.

Updated

“Michael Oliver, it’s all about you,” is the chant from the stands. Eesh.

57 mins: This is turning into a really difficult watch, I won’t lie. Both teams seem more interested in winding each other – and the referee – up, rather than playing ball.

The game is there for someone to take it, if they want it.

55 min: Chelsea scream for a penalty for a foul on Gusto but both Oliver and VAR turn the claims away.

Havertz has blood coming from his head so will have to go off for a bit.

Updated

Arsenal’s most recent Premier League away goal was in September.

Sean Orlowicz emails in: “It looks like two strong teams that are both just a rung below title contenders.”

53 min: Oh, close for Fofana. Madueke floats a nice ball into the mixer and Fofana – still up from the corner – extends a leg to try and volley it home. It’s an awkward one for him, and it’s over the bar.

52 min: Palmer shows a bit of urgency again and wins his team a corner.

The Mancunian whips it in with his left but it doesn’t beat the first man. Groans.

51 min: Saka gets the better of Cu-cu-cu-rella this time, cuts into the centre and Arsenal work it quickly to the opposite flank, from which position Martinelli curls a lovely ball towards the back post. But nobody in an Arsenal shirt gambles to get onto it.

Martinelli goes again but it’s snuffed out by Fofana. The Chelsea centre-back has been excellent.

Updated

49 min: Yep, it’s Chelsea who seemed to have upped the ante since the interval, with some impetus coming down their flanks. There’s a bit more zip in their passing, too.

Madueke cuts inside off the right but balloons his shot into orbit.

47 min: Palmer with an injection of pace and directness down the Chelsea left, but his cross is well claimed by Raya. There’s little sign of an increased tempo from Arsenal, who are seeing lots of the ball.

Second half: Will this game ignite in the next 45 (to 50) minutes? Let’s hope so. We’re back under way and it’ll be the same players – for now – charged with improving on the first half fare.

After my bold pre-match prediction that this would be a “corker”, you’re happily telling me otherwise on email. This is from Rick Harris:

This game is an absolute stinker – can’t see either team scoring but I imagine one of them will get a lucky deflection or a dead soft penalty in the second half and then the other team will equalise with an equally jammy fluke.

Oh, Kai.

HT: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal

The half finishes with another Palmer free-kick struck straight into the wall. Frustrating stuff for Chelsea, as the whistles goes with the score goalless.

What started as a high-quality, high-octane half of football lost a fair degree of momentum some point after the 20-minute mark. Both teams have fashioned decent chances, but the tempo has dropped as both teams’ discipline has dropped.

Chelsea need to get Cole Palmer on the ball more often and Arsenal, I’d suggest, need to keep their heads and stop committing unnecessary fouls. More needed in this London derby, please.

45 min: On the brink of the break, Chelsea have a free-kick in a great spot … but Palmer fires it left-footed into the wall from 20 yards.

We’ll have three minutes of stoppage time.

Unless something happens in the final minute or so, plus added time, this will be the major talking point of the first half at Stamford Bridge.

43 min: If there’s been one player on either side who has struggled to get involved so far, it’s Nicolas Jackson. Chelsea simply haven’t got the ball to him, either into his feet or via the ball in-behind Arsenal.

Hence, Chelsea’s goal threat has been minimal in this first half.

40 min: Palmer, who has looked a bit frustrated in the past 10 to 15 minutes, wallops a free-kick into the Shed End. That was way off target – he allows himself a wry smile.

Updated

39 min: Neto and White come to blows near the Chelsea left-hand touchline after a push in the back from the Arsenal man.

Saka then stops Cucurella in his tracks and White is booked for a flaying hand on Neto off the ball. Soft, that.

Updated

37 min: It feels like Arsenal have got to grips with Chelsea now and they’re ensuring Palmer doesn’t see too much of the ball, which is key.

The home side are sitting deep right now.

In the era of VAR, these things can come back to bite you …

34 min: Neto has been booked for dissent. Chelsea’s chief complaint there was that they weren’t ready for the free-kick. But the whistle had gone and, if Havertz hadn’t been offside, the goal would have stood!

33 min: Havertz is indeed ruled offside. There wasn’t a huge amount in it, but he was definitely just the wrong side of the line when it was drawn up. A big cheer goes up around Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea’s defenders’ blushes are spared. They switched off at the taking of that free-kick.

Arsenal free kick. Taken quickly and smartly – and Kai Havertz smuggles it in!

Oooh is this offside though? There will be a VAR check.

Updated

30 min: Many thought it would be an even-money game before kick-off and it’s proving that way. Chelsea are just shading things, for me.

28 min: Looking back at that Martinelli chance, it fell kindly to him after Saka’s shot was blocked and the Brazilian hit it too close to the Chelsea goalkeeper, who got in the way.

27 min: A good defensive header from Caicedo flicks Saka’s cross away from trouble. Martinelli is then found in space but hits it straight at Sanchez from close-ish range.

Arsenal are looking decent through midfield but are lacking in cutting edge.

25 min: It looks like Gusto has hurt himself while missing that header and he’s now getting some treatment inside the Arsenal goal area. Reece James is summoned to start a warmup.

Could be a bit of a delay.

24 min: Madueke is looking like a good outlet for Chelsea on the right, stretching his legs whenever possibly to run at Timber.

On the other side, Neto delivers a superb cross with his left foot and Gusto heads over. That was a big chance – he really should have scored. Raya was beaten.

Updated

22 min: Dear Michael Oliver, stop delaying the taking of every set piece to have a sincere chat with anyone who dares push into anyone else in the penalty box. Yours, everyone watching.

Updated

21 min: Cucurella v Saka was a battle for the ages in the Euros final and round two is proving just as captivating so far.

Colwill is rightly booked for a scything challenge on the England winger. Got nowhere near the ball.

20 min: First Caicedo does brilliantly to bring it away from trouble and then Palmer does a Palmer, turning cutely away from his man before driving forward. It ends with Madueke heading wide from Neto’s cross. Better from the Chels.

18 min: Caicedo has absolutely flattened Ødegaard and he’s somehow escaped without a booking. Palmer is complaining to the referee about something or other.

Updated

17 min: Gary Neville has been talking about Arsenal’s need for “invention and creativity” on the UK broadcast and there’s been a hint of that in the past few minutes. They’re certainly controlling matters right now.

14 mins: Saka hustles back, hassles Caicedo and wins it for Arsenal high up the pitch. The Gunners then work it down the right with White teasing in a cross that nobody can latch onto.

They’re coming back into this now, after a slow-ish opening 10 minutes.

12 min: Chelsea aren’t offering much bite from their set-pieces. Methinks the away side will rely on those dead-ball situations a little more, given their superb record.

10 min: Arsenal’s first set-piece of the game, a corner from the left, is won by Gabriel – with Rice getting a second chance to hook it in following a few handbags in the Chelsea box. Caicedo is furious at Havertz for going down. Six of one …

When the ball finally comes in, it nearly falls for Ben White at the back post. Chelsea just about clear and counter.

Updated

8 min: Enzo Maresca has obviously deemed Reece James unworthy of a starting spot today and that’s completely understandable. Malo Gusto is far more comfortable on the right and is having a big say already in this game, with Cucurella a more natural fit at left-back.

6 min: Chelsea are breaking lines with relative ease at the moment, as Palmer starts to pick up possession in the hole.

5 min: The first few minutes of this game have been played at a frightening pace. Finally there’s some calm with Chelsea’s defenders on the ball, waiting for the Gunners’ press.

3 min: Madueke surges down the right and feeds the onrushing Gusto, who has bust a gut to get to the byline. Palmer then has a pot-shot to sting David Raya’s fingertips. The keeper does well to tip it over the bar.

Two more emails as the early knockings are played out.

Chelsea fan Krishnamoorthy: “If Chelsea wins today, we will be 3rd on the table. I do not remember when was the last time we were that high on the table for a two week period. Makes me giddy that even a draw would guarantee that. I do hope the backroom staff of Arsenal have lost the Cole Palmer voodoo doll for this afternoon.”

Charles Antaki of an Arsenal persuasion: “On the one hand, yes, great to see the A-Team back for the Arsenal; on the other hand, Arsenal fans will have palpitations every time Ødegaard or Rice goes down, grimaces or just stands about with his hands on his hips looking pensive. Are they sufficiently recovered? Will they totter about ineffectively before collapsing or being taken off? It’s a fine line between anticipation and angst, although I suppose the A in A-Team could stand for either of those two things. Awkward, perhaps.”

KICK OFF

After a period of silence and the sounding of the Last Post on Remembrance Sunday, we’re off and running Stamford Bridge.

A roar greets the sound of the referee’s whistle. The ref is Michael Oliver, incidentally.

Today’s match reports so far:

Some emails are dropping in my inbox ahead of kick-off:

Joe Pearson says: “Good morning, Dom, from a rather gloomy and overcast Indianapolis. As a Liverpool fan, a high-scoring draw would be just what the doctor ordered. Please deliver. Thanks!”

Jeff Sax adds: “I have been saying for two years that Arteta does not have what it takes to win the Premier League …”

The Chelsea double midfield fulcrum of Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia has been gaining deserved plaudits lately and it’ll be fascinating to see how they fare against top-drawer opposition. Caicedo impressed last week at Manchester United but Lavia wasn’t able to dictate the game like he has been doing. The latter is just 20 so his ceiling is sky-high and today feels like a decent test of his credentials.

The two managers have been speaking ahead of kick-off and you can watch their musings here:

Will Chelsea and Arsenal be among the inevitably long list of suitors for Viktor Gyökeres in the summer? With Ruben Amorim, United will consider themselves favourites but the two London clubs may be after a prolific No.9.

Before this weekend, Manchester United and Newcastle were supposedly struggling, Nottingham Forest were flying and Tottenham were gathering major momentum. Today:

  • Manchester United win 3-0

  • Newcastle win 3-1 at Forest

  • Tottenham lose at home to Ipswich

Greatest league in the world.

Does this mark a return to the days of Sky Sports’ ‘GRAND SLAM SUNDAY’ branding? Let’s hope so.

Barring a 3-0 win at Preston in the Carabao Cup, it’s been a lean old run for Arsenal since the previous international break – especially away from home. The Gunners have blanked at Bournemouth, Inter and Newcastle, a streak of defeats that has prompted questions over Mikel Arteta’s tactics and the team’s general fluency.

Will the return of Ødegaard prove panacea for all those problems? Barney Ronay doubts it.

We’re into the final 30 minutes of the earlier kick-offs:

Updated

So everyone starts, injury doubt or not! Palmer is probably not a huge surprise. Maresca has played his cards fairly close to his chest in recent press conferences when asked about the playmaker’s fitness and was helped by the fact Palmer isn’t in Chelsea’s Conference League squad. He should be fit and firing to take centre-stage today. Reece James drops to the Blues’ bench with Cucurella preferred and Gusto going to right-back.

The bigger worry is over Arsenal’s injured contingent, with Declan Rice apparently playing despite a broken toe and Ødegaard only just back from a long-standing ankle issue.

The positive upshot for both sides – and the neutrals – is two benches packed with potential game-changers: Félix, Nkunku, Trossard, Jesus … oooft.

Team news

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.

Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, James, Tosin, Veiga, Fernández, Mudryk, J.Félix, Nkunku.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Partey, Ødegaard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.

Subs: Neto, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.

Updated

With official team news due at 3.15pm, we await news on several key midfielders. Arsenal fans will be desperate to see Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard. Word is both players have arrived at Stamford Bridge, along with Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino who both picked up knocks in Milan in midweek.

Chelsea’s concerns centre around Cole Palmer, who was on the end of a bash from Lisandro Martinez at Manchester United last weekend, but the general consensus seems to be that Palmer will be fine. He’d arguably be the biggest miss of the lot.

Here’s some pre-match reading for you.

Preamble

It’s the headline game of the weekend without doubt, and a rarity in being a clash between two elite teams that is so difficult to predict. There are cases to be made for both sides. Chelsea, one of the Premier League’s in-form sides, are fresh off an 8-0 victory and have built renewed hope under Enzo Maresca of late; although Arsenal, albeit they have been disjointed and tetchy of late, have the pedigree of having pushed for the title in the past two seasons – during which time Chelsea finished down in mid-table.

There are some mouthwatering individual contests to observe that will decide the contest. Will Nicolas Jackson win the battle against William Saliba? Can Declan Rice shackle Cole Palmer (if the latter is fit)? And could Chelsea’s new-look, all-action midfield rule the roost or will Martin Ødegaard (if fit) provide the Gunners a timely boost in that area?

Official team news is coming up soon, kick-off is at 4.30pm GMT (UK time). Should be a good’un.

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