This was a huge week for Arsenal — arguably their most important stretch of the season — and Mikel Arteta’s side came close to navigating it perfectly.
A week earlier, they thrashed bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4–1. Then, in midweek, they took down one of Europe’s hottest teams, Bayern Munich, with an impressive 3–1 victory.
They arrived at Stamford Bridge boosted by several returning players, including Gabriel Jesus, Viktor Gyökeres, and Martin Ødegaard.
But the absence of both William Saliba and Gabriel through injury proved costly, as Arsenal were held to a 1–1 draw by Chelsea in what was one of their flatest performances of the campaign.
Where Arsenal Fell Short at Stamford Bridge
Declan Rice had described Bayern as their strongest opponent of the season, but on domestic soil Chelsea gave them their stiffest Premier League challenge yet — even after going down to ten men.
Arsenal struggled for rhythm from the outset, especially in the first half, repeatedly misplacing passes. When Moisés Caicedo was dismissed following a VAR check for a late studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino, it looked like the Gunners had the lifeline they needed.
The pre-match chatter centred around Caicedo vs Rice, and the Arsenal midfielder clearly came out on top. Despite the red card, Chelsea played their best football with ten players, threatening consistently on the counter through Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho.
Defensively, Arsenal were rarely in deep trouble, but they still conceded first. From a left-sided corner, Trevoh Chalobah found space at the near post and guided a header beyond David Raya — the sort of set-piece lapse Arteta and set-piece coach Nicolas Jover will hate to see, given Arsenal are usually so strong in those scenarios.
Their main issues, however, were further up the pitch.
Martin Zubimendi was withdrawn early in the second half, and Arsenal’s midfield never really clicked. They lacked creativity and incision both centrally and out wide.
Bukayo Saka did supply the cross for Merino’s equaliser, but Gabriel Martinelli — and later Noni Madueke — offered almost nothing in terms of chance creation, failing to record a single key pass between them.
It was a disjointed attacking display and a slightly shaky defensive one — a rare combination for Arteta’s usually well-balanced side.
Arsenal’s Most Struggled Defender vs Chelsea
Losing Gabriel alone is tough. Replacing both Gabriel and Saliba is another challenge entirely.
With Saliba ruled out late after a training knock, Cristian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié were paired together for only the second time in their careers. That inexperience showed.
Hincapié looked relatively composed, completing 88% of his passes, but Mosquera — normally so assured — had an unusually difficult afternoon. His early yellow card in the 13th minute set the tone, forcing him to play with caution for the rest of the match.
Since arriving for just £13m in the summer, Mosquera has been exceptional, stepping up brilliantly at Anfield earlier in the season and handling Harry Kane with ease in the Champions League. But against Chelsea, he finally looked human. Not terrible — just far below the incredibly high bar he’s set.
The Express reflected this in their player ratings, giving him a 5/10 and noting he “looked shaky at times as Arsenal faced a barrage of attacks.”
Without Saliba and Gabriel, Arsenal missed their usual ability to play through pressure. Mosquera, in particular, struggled to break Chelsea’s press with his passing — an area where the first-choice pairing normally excels.
Still, this was only a blip for the young centre-back. As analyst Spencer Mossman has pointed out, Mosquera has the talent to develop into “one of the best centre-backs in the world.” One tough outing won’t change that
