“The blues are closer to Arsenal than one might think.”

In a clash that proved to be more than just a simple battle between London rivals, Chelsea and Arsenal showcased a match that exposed both the weaknesses and the promises of the Blues. Despite a solid performance, Chelsea was once again betrayed by defensive errors during set pieces and by a red card that became emblematic of their season. Trevoh Chalobah, the Blues’ defender, did not hesitate to point out these mistakes: “We’ve conceded too many goals from set pieces, and that’s why we are where we are in the table.”

Chelsea and Arsenal have met four times this season, and the numbers speak for themselves: a 1-1 draw in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, a 2-3 defeat in the first leg of the League Cup, another defeat by 1-0 in the second leg, and a 2-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium. Although the matches have been closely contested, the reality is that Chelsea has emerged defeated in all Premier League encounters, always with a player sent off.

At first glance, it seems Arsenal dominates the rivalry, but the margins of difference are minimal. Chelsea has not won the last eight encounters in the Premier League against the Gunners, but in terms of ball possession and overall play, the team appears to match or even surpass their rival. The main issue lies in the players’ mental capacity, where Arsenal’s players demonstrate superior preparation.

“During the first ten games since I arrived, we didn’t have these problems, but now we have two red cards in two games. There is something deeper that we need to address. If we can deal with these two main aspects, we can be a very good team and achieve everything we desire,” declared a concerned coach.

As for the game itself, Chelsea started promisingly but found themselves behind shortly after Arsenal’s first corner. William Saliba emerged among the defenders to score, a typical example of the effectiveness of set pieces from Mikel Arteta’s team. Despite the setback, the Blues did not let it affect them and managed to equalize before halftime, with an own goal from Piero Hincapié following a corner from Reece James that caused confusion in the area.

In the second half, Chelsea seemed closer to scoring, but once again Arsenal showcased their superiority in set pieces, with Jurriën Timber heading in from a corner taken by Declan Rice. The turning point of the match came in the 70th minute when Pedro Neto received a second yellow card, leaving Chelsea with ten men, which changed the course of the game in favor of the Gunners.

Even with one player less, Chelsea continued to fight for equality, even having a goal disallowed for offside and creating moments of tension that required decisive interventions from goalkeeper David Raya. In the end, Arsenal managed to maintain the lead, winning 2-1 and restoring their five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League.

With this defeat, Chelsea fell to 6th place, now behind Liverpool, who defeated West Ham 5-2. The current world champions are three points behind the Reds and six points behind Aston Villa, their next opponent at Villa Park.

Despite not having managed to defeat their London rivals this season, Chelsea demonstrated that, in terms of technical and tactical ability, they are not inferior to Arsenal. To succeed, they urgently need to cut out mistakes, improve concentration throughout the 90 minutes, and be more disciplined in defense. Inexperience, being the youngest team in the Premier League, is a factor that weighs heavily, but the coach remains optimistic about the underlying quality and potential of the team. “We need to do something, no doubt. I need to talk to the coaching staff, the staff, and the players because this is not acceptable,” he concluded, emphasizing the need for changes.