If there’s any side happy with the outcome of last night’s Chelsea v Arsenal encounter it will no doubt be Manchester United.
The London side’s played out a frantic 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge to keep the hunt for the final Champions League place interesting, no doubt alerting punters looking for sign up bonuses. The result means that Solskjaer’s men sit 4 points behind 4th place Chelsea with a game in hand. Welcome news considering their recent 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Lampard will be extremely disappointed his side couldn’t extend their lead even further, especially when 30 minutes-in serial mistake merchant Shkodran Mustafi’s horrendous error led to fellow centre half, and Chelsea alumni, David Luiz sticking a foot down the back of Tammy Abraham and getting a swift red-card.
Whilst the sending-off no doubt hurt them, Arsenal seemed to be galvanised and actually improved playing with 10-men.
Chelsea twice led in the fixture, firstly when Jorginho converted the ensuing penalty in his inimitable way, and later when Cesar Azpilicueta grabbed a goal at the death, seemingly claiming all 3 points for his side in the process.
The Gunners twice answered back, firstly from 18-year old Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Martinelli, superb on the night, calmly rolling the ball past the oncoming keeper after being put through on goal, then later via the returning right back Hector Bellerin, a superb curled effort in the dying embers of the match.
Pandemonium ensued for the visiting supporters. However, it can’t be denied that Arsenal remain a rabble in important areas of the pitch. Arteta’s short tenure has already proved fruitful, the absolute recklessness of his sides defending will leave him plenty to ponder for the remainder of the season. Thankfully he’ll be able to lean on the talents of former African Footballer of the year Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who missed the encounter.
Speaking of recklessness, the continued patchy form of Chelsea’s expensive keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga continues to be a concern for the Blues’ home contingent. The Spaniard really should have done better when fellow countryman Bellerin sent a well placed but slow paced effort past him at the far post.
The side have now conceded 11 goals in the last 15 minutes in all their Premier League matches this term. Just as it seemed the return of Rudiger would only bolster their defensive endeavours, conceding goals is still an issue that haunts Lampard.
The meeting of two of the Premier League’s most inconsistent sides was no doubt one for the neutrals, even one for fans of car crash television. Whilst a point was welcome given the circumstances, it seems that Champions League football is all but certainly a pipe dream for Arsenal this season at least.
A giant 10 points separate them from the top 4. Given his mid-season appointment, Arteta will at least be comforted that the home fans have patience. Even if he can get a tune out of a patchy squad like the one he’s inherited, it will be a visible step in the right direction.
As for Chelsea, the club are eyeing fascinating fixtures on their horizon. Firstly a trip to Leicester on the 1st of Feb, then a home encounter against Manchester United.