Merino bails out Arsenal in fiery 1-1 London derby as 10-man Chelsea hold firm.
Mikel Merino dug Arsenal out of a hole as the Premier League leaders were forced to settle for a scrappy 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea in a spiky, bad-tempered derby at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea played more than half the match a man down after Moises Caicedo’s reckless lunge, yet somehow still nicked a second-half lead before Arsenal dragged themselves level.
Caicedo saw red just before the break for a crude stamp on Merino, upgraded from yellow after VAR took a long look. Even so, Trevoh Chalobah stunned the away end with a sharp header early in the second half, only for Merino to hit back on the hour and keep Arsenal’s title cushion intact in a contest that simmered all afternoon.
Arsenal stay five points clear of Manchester City and six ahead of Chelsea, but the visitors will feel this was a huge chance gone begging. City kept up the heat by beating Newcastle on Saturday, while Chelsea came into the game unbeaten in seven across all competitions. The Blues looked miles from intimidated despite boss Enzo Maresca insisting midweek that his young squad wasn’t ready for a proper title tilt.
The early exchanges were pure London derby chaos. Martin Zubimendi hauled down Reece James, Marc Cucurella clattered Bukayo Saka, Mosquera sent Joao Pedro flying, and Riccardo Calafiori yanked James off the ball. Cards flying everywhere, tempers simmering, and both dugouts barking at the fourth official. Saka nearly gained payback instantly with a rasping drive that Robert Sanchez pushed away at his near post. At the other end, Estevao Willian, making another big-occasion start after scoring against Barcelona, ballooned Chelsea’s first real chance from ten yards.
Chelsea actually had Arsenal wobbling before the red card. Enzo Fernandez stung David Raya’s palms as the Blues pressed high and hard. Then came the flashpoint: Caicedo arriving late, studs on ankle, Merino writhing, Arsenal screaming for justice. VAR didn’t hesitate. Chelsea’s sixth red card of the season. And the anger from the hosts only grew when Hincapie crunched into Chalobah with a flying elbow moments later, but somehow escaped further punishment.
Arsenal arrived as the league’s most lethal set-piece outfit with ten goals in twelve games, yet it was Chelsea who landed the first punch from a dead ball. Just three minutes after half-time, James whipped in a clever near-post corner, and Chalobah launched himself above everyone to flick a header into the far side, leaving Raya rooted.
Mikel Arteta immediately rolled the dice, chucking on Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke, who copped a chorus of “Chelsea reject” from the home crowd. The changes paid off almost instantly. Saka twisted Cucurella inside out down the right and dropped a superb cross onto Merino’s forehead. The Spaniard, used again as a makeshift striker, powered his header beyond Sanchez for his fourth of the season.
The closing stages were frantic, Arsenal pushing bodies forward, Chelsea digging trenches. Sanchez pulled off two brilliant stops from Saka and Merino, both destined for the bottom corner. Arsenal huffed, puffed, but couldn’t smash the door down.
Arsenal’s unbeaten run now stretches to 18 games in all competitions, and while the point keeps them in firm control of the title race, Chelsea’s gritty shift hinted they may yet become the Gunners’ biggest nuisance down the stretch. Next up: Arsenal face another tricky test with European commitments looming, while Chelsea look to build on an evening where, despite everything, they showed plenty of fight.