Chelsea drew with Arsenal 2-2 in a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 21.
Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk scored for the Blues, but Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard leveled the terms for Arsenal to secure a draw.
The Gunners bounced back from a 0-2 deficit to salvage a point that kept them in the second position in the league table with 21 points from nine matches. Manchester City, meanwhile, are currently placed at the top due to a better goal difference. The Blues are in 10th position now with 12 points from nine matches.
On that note, let us take a look at two reasons why Arsenal managed to sneak out a draw in the match against Chelsea.
#1 Roberto Sanchez’s mistake led to the first goal
Sanchez has been solid in Chelsea’s goal before the match against the Gunners. He kept three clean sheets in eight matches prior to Saturday’s fixture, but committed a grave mistake to allow Arsenal the chance to stage a comeback.
Rice, who had the freedom to attack with Jorginho playing behind him, was a constant threat to the Blues’ defence with his forward runs into the final third. At times, he also switched to the left flank to deliver crosses into the box.
However, his best moment in the match came in the second half, when Sanchez played an erroneous pass straight into his feet. Rice then shot the ball home from 25 yards out, with Sanchez caught out of position. The goal gave Arsenal hope and the belief that they could make a comeback.
#2 Arsenal’s substitutes doing their job
Once again, Mikel Arteta’s substitutes did the job for their side. Arteta took off Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli to introduce Kai Havertz, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Trossard in the second half.
As a result, Arsenal switched to a 4-1-4-1 from a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Rice being the lone holding midfielder.
Nketiah’s cross from the right was perfectly met by Trossard for Arsenal’s equalizer. The change in formation meant that Arsenal had better ball retention in the final third with their substitutes playing a key role in it.
Havertz helped with his composure on the ball, spreading the ball around. Nketiah’s speed and incisiveness kept the Chelsea defence on their toes and Trossard proved his usefulness yet again with his opportunism.
The 26-year-old Belgian forward scored his third goal of the season to earn a very important point for the Gunners.
