After Gabriel Martinelli gave Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal the lead against Chelsea in their Premier League match on Sunday, things appeared to be going perfectly for the visitors. However, Pedro Neto equalized, so it was not to be. Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, will be able to maintain their lead over the weekend thanks to the outcome.
Due to a 1-1 draw that neither team is happy with, Chelsea and Arsenal will both start the international break in the top four of the Premier League.
After Kai Havertz’s goal was disallowed for offside in the first half, Gabriel Martinelli broke the Arsenal goalless draw against the flow of play. The Brazilian scored past Robert Sanchez after receiving a cross from the returning Martin Odegaard.
But the lead only lasted ten minutes before Chelsea equalized through a stunning goal from outside the penalty area by Pedro Neto, and neither team was able to score a second goal to secure all three points.
Leandro Trossard had a great chance to win the game with the final kick, but he missed at point-blank range. As a result, the game ended in a draw at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea is still ahead of the other teams in the Premier League on goal differential.
Both teams are four points behind Manchester City and nine behind league leaders Liverpool. However, Mikel Arteta’s main worry may be about Bukayo Saka’s health, as the superstar hobbled off with ten minutes left following a stern challenge from Marc Cucurella.
Just after Martinelli had missed a one-on-one, Havertz appeared to have broken open a game of few chances at the half. A swiftly taken free kick released the former Blue in the penalty area, and he finished well under pressure from Moises Caicedo.
But in the final seconds of the half, an exceptionally misfiring Cole Palmer missed a series of chances, and Havertz was correctly called offside by VAR.
In a match that appeared to be decided by a single goal, he was made to pay when Martinelli, like Havertz, slipped through Chelsea’s offside trap to make up for his earlier miss against Sanchez.
Trossard’s late wastefulness made sure that would be sufficient for a point, but Neto had other ideas. He grabbed a precise pass from Enzo Fernandez and finished through two defenders with a fizzing shot that David Raya could not reach.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
