Arsenal stayed top of the Premier League and stretched their unbeaten run to ten matches after Mikel Merino’s header cancelled out Trevoh Chalobah’s opener in a scrappy, low-quality encounter at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were reduced to ten men late in the first half when Moises Caicedo was shown a red card, yet it was the home side who struck first just minutes after the restart.
Bukayo Saka was key to Arsenal’s response. He twisted Marc Cucurella inside out before spinning and delivering a pinpoint cross for stand-in striker Merino, who nodded past Robert Sánchez from close range.
Although Saka has scored three league goals this season, Sunday’s assist was his first in the Premier League in exactly twelve months. He’ll be eager to build on that when Arsenal host Brentford on Wednesday night.
Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, the former Manchester United and England defender praised Saka’s brilliance:
“When he’s in form, he’s impossible to stop,” Ferdinand said. “He’s got the same kind of strength you see in Mohamed Salah. He might not look big, but how often do you see anyone knock him off the ball? Especially when he’s receiving it with his back to goal. He’s compact, powerful, and smart.”
Ferdinand added that former teammate Joleon Lescott always admired Saka’s intelligence:
“Lescott always says he makes the right decision almost every single time — when to pass short, when to play long, when to shoot, when to take on a man, when to cross.”
Ferdinand believes that if Saka hits top form at the right time, Arsenal could achieve major things later in the season.
“He’s so efficient and effective, and that assist was quality,” he said. “If he finds his rhythm at the key moment, Arsenal can do anything. That’s how influential he is.”
Despite Caicedo’s dismissal, Ferdinand thinks Arsenal will be satisfied with a point from such a high-stakes derby.
“If I think back to how I’d feel after a game like that, a huge top-of-the-table meeting, I’m sure Arsenal would have accepted a draw beforehand,” he explained. “Ask Declan Rice and the lads if they’d have taken a point before kick-off, and I think they all would have said yes.
“And sometimes playing against ten men is actually tougher — teams sit deeper, the spaces disappear. Chelsea even scored with ten men. But this result doesn’t derail Arsenal at all. They’re still unbeaten, still flying, still scoring, and still in great form.
“They’ve also shaken off that recent reputation of only scoring from set pieces. Now they’re creating and scoring in open play, too.”
Ferdinand said Arsenal have enjoyed an excellent spell in both domestic and European competition.
“They’ve built real momentum and belief over these last couple of weeks,” he continued. “After the Bayern Munich game, I’d even say opponents are starting to fear Arsenal. Teams are asking themselves, ‘How do we deal with their physicality? How do we keep the ball against them? How do we stop them at set pieces? How do we even keep them out?’
“Right now, teams are approaching matches against Arsenal with far more caution and concern than we’ve seen in recent seasons.”
