Chelsea delivered a resilient and disciplined performance to secure a hard-fought result against Arsenal in a storm-hit London derby, despite being reduced to 10 men for much of the match.
The game began at a frantic pace, with both sides pushing forward aggressively. Chelsea quickly settled and created the better early chances, using sharp passing and rapid transitions to put Arsenal under pressure.
Their efforts were rewarded midway through the first half when Trevoh Chalobah struck a precise finish to give the Blues the lead.
Chelsea dominated the opening 30 minutes as Arsenal struggled to respond, with several opportunities coming from clever link-up play. Estevão was at the centre of Chelsea’s brightest moments, nearly creating the first chance after combining with Pedro Neto, who was blocked before shooting. Moments later, the teenager had two more big opportunities—firing over from João Pedro’s cross and driving attacks that kept Arsenal pinned back.
Chelsea’s press disrupted Arsenal repeatedly. João Pedro dispossessed Piero Hincapié, only for Riccardo Calafiori’s recovery to deny a shot, and a follow-up pass to Enzo Fernández went astray.
Raya was then forced into a save after Estevão’s clever play set up a powerful strike from Enzo.
Arsenal struggled to gain momentum until the 38th minute when Moisés Caicedo caught Mikel Merino’s ankle. Following a lengthy stoppage and VAR check, referee Anthony Taylor showed Caicedo a straight red.
Even with 10 men, Chelsea remained solid. Sánchez produced a sharp save to deny Gabriel Martinelli before halftime, and Reece James saw a close-range effort blocked.
The Blues began the second half strongly, testing Raya again from a James free-kick met by João Pedro.
However, Arsenal equalised just before the hour when Bukayo Saka cut inside and crossed for Merino to head home at the far post.
Chelsea continued to threaten through James’ crossfield pass and Garnacho’s driving runs, though Neto’s header lacked power.
Despite Arsenal enjoying more possession, Chelsea pushed on, showing remarkable resilience and intensity throughout a dramatic, stormy derby night.
