It was a disappointing afternoon at Stamford Bridge as the annual humbling of Arsenal did not come to pass as the Gunners held firm to earn themselves a point after a goalless draw. A much better second half performance from the Blues wasn’t enough to get all 3 points and the frustration boiled over for one particular player as David Luiz was sent off in the closing stages. Chelsea were very subdued throughout but a couple of players did stand out among their below-par teammates.
Thibaut Courtois – 6.5
A couple of decent saves from Alexandre Lacazette as he kept a clean sheet for the second time this week. Slow in possession but that was mainly due to the lack of movement ahead of him. Nevertheless, he remained a calming presence between the sticks.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6
Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez caused a few problems for the Spaniard but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with. His attacking influence was smothered by a more defensive Arsenal team and could not link up with Alvaro Morata as well as he has so far this season.
David Luiz – 6.5
A potential man of the match performance after he denied Alexandre Lacazette on a number of occasions but his day will be marred by that horrific tackle on Sead Kolasinac which earnt him a straight red card in the dying moments of the game. Luiz powered past Alexis Sanchez on the right wing but lost control of the ball and overstretched in his attempt at winning it back, catching the Bosnian with his studs in a challenge that you could hear right around the ground.
Gary Cahill – 5.5
Unsure in possession and caught out in behind on a few occasions. Chelsea’s captain endured a tough afternoon on his return to the Premier League side after his 3-game ban for his red card against Burnley. He skewed a couple of passes out of play but never looked like getting beaten in the air.
Victor Moses – 6.5
One of Chelsea’s main attacking threats but the Nigerian couldn’t break past the Arsenal defence with his usual pace and power as Kolasinac did well to prevent him from advancing too far forward. With Davide Zappacosta set to start against Nottingham Forest in midweek, he’ll be sure to put in a better performance next time round.
N’Golo Kante 6
Was left with too much to do at times by a marauding Cesc Fabregas during the first half. Looked more secure and confident alongside Tiemoue Bakayoko after his compatriot was introduced at half time. Recycled the ball well in the closing stages as Arsenal sat further and further back but provided no real attacking threat.
Cesc Fabregas – 5.5
An afternoon to forget against his old side with the Spaniard having little influence on proceedings at Stamford Bridge. He found it difficult to create much up against Arsenal’s two holding midfielders but still managed to send Pedro through on goal, only to see his fellow Spaniard squander the opportunity.
Marcos Alonso – 6.5
Saw as much of the ball as anyone else as Chelsea looked to exploit Arsenal’s right side but it was Hector Bellerin who caused the problems for Alonso. Bellerin got in behind the left wing-back a couple of times in the first half and was fortunate that Bellerin’s end product wasn’t as good as the opportunities he had warranted.
Pedro – 5.5
His big moment came in a one-on-one with Petr Cech in the first half but he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet in time and could only scoop a weak shot at the former Chelsea keeper. Suffered an injury after colliding with Nacho Monreal and was replaced at half time but I doubt it was because of the injury.
Willian – 6
You can’t fault the Brazilian for trying but his wait for a goal goes on. He had a couple of long range efforts but couldn’t find the target and it was he who made way for Eden Hazard with around 20 minutes to go and the difference was very noticeable.
Alvaro Morata – 6.5
Given some rough treatment by Shkodran Mustafi and was limited to very little opportunities by the Arsenal back 3. His hold up play was impressive and he linked well with Willian at times but Chelsea needed a player like Diego Costa out there – someone who can lead from the front.
Substitutes:
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 7.5
Showed the Chelsea fans what they were missing in the first half as he added an injection of pace and strength to the team after his introduction at half time. A powerful run right through the heart of the Arsenal team was a particular highlight and was arguably Chelsea’s best player.
Eden Hazard – 6.5
Lit up the game when he came on and won a few free kicks for his side. The Belgian came close to breaking the deadlock for Chelsea but his shot was well saved by Petr Cech after neat work on the edge of the box from Hazard. His recovery is almost complete.
Andreas Christensen – N/A
Came on for Morata to fill in the cap left by the departed David Luiz.
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