Chelsea held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, moving the Blues into third position in the Premier League table.
The action began early, with Chelsea pressing forward in the 3rd minute as Cole Palmer received a precise pass and unleashed a long-range shot. Arsenal’s keeper reacted swiftly, denying Palmer’s effort and setting up a Chelsea corner.
In the 24th minute, Pedro Neto delivered a well-placed cross, and Malo Gusto managed to get his head to it, but his attempt went just over the bar.
Arsenal responded a few minutes later when Gabriel Martinelli found himself with time and space inside the Chelsea box. His shot, however, was easily saved by Robert Sanchez.
The drama intensified in the 32nd minute. Declan Rice delivered a cross from a free kick, which Kai Havertz collected before smashing it into the middle of the net.
Chelsea seemed to have fallen behind, but referee Michael Oliver paused the game to review the goal using VAR. Moments later, it was ruled out for offside in the build-up, and the score remained 0-0.
Chelsea had another close chance in the 53rd minute as Wesley Fofana connected with a cross from Noni Madueke, only to see his shot narrowly miss the crossbar.
Chelsea appealed for a penalty in the 55th minute after Malo Gusto went down under a challenge, but the referee waved away the claims.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 60th minute when Gabriel Martinelli managed an impressive goal from a difficult angle, slotting the ball past Chelsea’s keeper to put Arsenal in front at 1-0.
Chelsea fought back, and in the 70th minute, Enzo Fernandez slid a pass to Pedro Neto, who unleashed a brilliant long-range shot that found the bottom right corner, bringing the Blues level at 1-1.
In the 75th minute, Nicolas Jackson thought he had scored Chelsea’s second after slotting the ball into the net, but the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
