Mikel Arteta has reflected on a tough game for Arsenal after his side drew 1-1 at Chelsea.
A fiery London Derby clash saw eight cards issued, including a first-half red card for Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian was dismissed after VAR intervention, following a high challenge on Mikel Merino.
The momentum appeared with Arsenal after that decision, but it was Chelsea who took the lead just minutes after half-time. Trevoh Chalobah met Reece James’s corner to head the home side in front.
Arsenal levelled on 59 minutes via a header of their own, as Merino nodded in Bukayo Saka’s cross.
Neither side could find a winner, with Arsenal unable to make their man advantage count. The draw leaves Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League table.
Discussing the draw, Arteta told Sky Sports: “A really tough one. Two teams that play with a lot of intensity and aggression, you could sense it in every tackle. The game settled and after the red card, we needed to settle and make the judgement but we conceded a foul and a goal. Two top teams fighting for the Premier League so it’s normal.
“We had four players with yellow cards and you could see they were targeting those players. The first action in the section half, we conceded and we had to get through that. We scored a brilliant goal. We had two or three big chances.
“They are a really good team. They’ve scored seven goals from corners, we’ve scored eight.
On Caicedo’s red card incident, Arteta added: “It was really fast. I saw the reaction and everyone was saying he’s off. Anthony made the call and I think it’s the right one.
“It’s been a massive week emotionally and physically. We had one day less to recover. They got to play at Stamford Bridge after they just beat Barcelona. I expect and always want to win the game.
“We have another game on Wednesday and we have to prepare really well to beat a tough opponent like Brentford and then we have Aston Villa.”
