Arsenal's winless run extended to four matches after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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Having lost two of their last three league games, Mikel Arteta's Gunners entered Sunday's match 10 points adrift of leaders Liverpool and in need of a victory.
And Arsenal were en route to claiming that win when Gabriel Martinelli – assisted by fit-again captain Martin Odegaard – struck on the hour-mark.
However, Pedro Neto found the bottom-right corner from distance to drag Chelsea level 10 minutes later.
Leandro Trossard failed to capitalise on a brilliant opportunity with the last kick of the game, meaning Arsenal sit fourth, with Chelsea above them on goal difference in third.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
How the match unfolded
Having shaken off a knock to start, Cole Palmer saw a 25-yard strike tipped over by David Raya early on, before Chelsea missed a glorious chance in the 24th minute.
Neto supplied a wonderful cross for Malo Gusto at the far post, but the right-back could only head over a gaping goal under pressure from Jurrien Timber.
Robert Sanchez denied Martinelli at his near post before Chelsea received a huge reprieve in the 34th minute. Kai Havertz latched on to Declan Rice's quick free-kick to prod home, but the on-field decision to award the goal was overturned for offside following a VAR review.
Wesley Fofana went close shortly after the interval, but Arsenal inched ahead on the hour-mark, Martinelli side-footing home after being picked out by Odegaard.
However, their lead was short-lived as Neto cut inside from the right to send a shot skimming off the turf and beyond the despairing dive of Raya.
Arsenal went agonisingly close to a dramatic winner deep in stoppage time, but Trossard – who had the unmarked Havertz lingering behind him – turned William Saliba’s inviting cross wide.
Blues battle back
The early weeks of Enzo Maresca's tenure have been full of promise for Chelsea, but there remains a nagging sense that his side are still waiting on a statement victory.
Chelsea's last three Premier League defeats have all come against last season's top three teams in Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, yet they are unbeaten in 21 matches against all other opponents.
While they fell short of a first win over Arsenal since August 2021, Maresca will be delighted by the fight they showed after falling behind to a Gunners side finally back at full strength.
Moises Caicedo only needed four minutes to level when Bruno Fernandes' penalty put Chelsea on the back foot at Manchester United a week ago, and just 10 minutes elapsed between Martinelli's opener and Neto's excellent equaliser here – the winger’s first top-flight goal for the Blues.
Maresca still has work to do in defence – Chelsea have now conceded at least once in all six of their home league games under him. His team were saved by a VAR review when they fell asleep in the first half, then Levi Colwill was at fault as he played Martinelli onside for Arsenal's opener.
However, few could deny that Chelsea's battling display warranted a point, and with seven of their next 10 league opponents currently sitting in the bottom half, they will be confident of building some momentum over the coming weeks.
Odegaard return not enough
Perhaps for the first time since an eighth-place finish in his first full season in charge in 2020/21, Arsenal boss Arteta was facing scrutiny as his team travelled across London.
Defeats at AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United had left them well adrift in the title race despite the struggles of champions Man City, with Liverpool opening a 10-point gap to the Gunners by impressively beating Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday.
The returns of Odegaard – making his first league appearance since the 1-1 draw with Brighton on 31 August – and Rice, who sat out Wednesday's UEFA Champions League defeat to Internazionale Milano, sparked an improvement.
Rice's rapid thinking almost led to the opener when he threaded a quick free-kick through the Chelsea backline for Havertz to convert, only for the German to be ruled offside. Odegaard, meanwhile, recorded his eighth open-play assist in the Premier League in 2024 when he picked out Martinelli. Having his captain back will be a huge boost for Arteta.
However, Arsenal never truly felt in control and after a couple of close calls, it was no surprise when Neto wiped out their advantage.
The sight of Arteta rolling around on the turf in disbelief after Trossard failed to tap home Saliba’s stoppage-time cross could be a memorable one come the end of the season.
Winless in four league games and with Nottingham Forest up next after the international break, Arsenal may need a faultless festive period if they are to claw their way into title contention.
Match reports
Chelsea report | Arsenal report
What the managers said
Enzo Maresca: "I enjoyed it, absolutely. The performance was good. We know them quite well and we competed pretty well. The performance is very important for us in this moment and it was good. We can rest now and go again.
"The performance from Pedro [Neto] was very good, all of them, complete. We played in the way we wanted to, brave, and try and play from the back always."
Mikel Arteta: "I am very disappointed but very proud as well with what I have seen from the team again. We did the most difficult one to score the first goal but very disappointed with the way we conceded.
"The standards and our defensive habits were nowhere near. They have quality and if you give them space they are going to punish you."
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Arsenal have gone four consecutive Premier League games without a win for the first time April 2023 (D2 L2); the Gunners had picked up all three points in 21 of their previous 25 league matches before this (D3 L1).
Chelsea will end a day in the top three places of the Premier League table for the first time since the final day of the 2021/22 season, when they finished in third position behind Man City and Liverpool.
Today was the fourth time that Arsenal have faced 15+ shots in a Premier League game this season, already twice as many times as they did so across the whole of the 2023/24 campaign, when they did so on only two occasions.