Chelsea failed to register a third-straight Premier League win on Saturday as they surrendered a two-goal advantage against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues made a quick start off the blocks against the Gunners and they created a number of chances before opening the scoring through the penalty spot. Cole Palmer converted his spot kick for the second successive game. Mykhailo Mudryk made it 2-0 in Chelsea’s favour shortly after the half-time interval.
The Ukrainian’s attempted cross found its way into the back of the net. Despite the handy lead, Chelsea could not hold on for the victory. A poor pass from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez allowed Declan Rice to convert into an empty net in the 77th minute. This was the Gunners’ first shot on target in the entire game.
Leandro Trossard soon equalised for the visitors. Bukayo Saka managed to get the better of Marc Cucurella before delivering a quality cross at the far post for the Belgian to find the net. Chelsea fans will be disappointed with the draw, but there were plenty of positives to carry forward including the performance of Palmer.
The 21-year-old is still relatively inexperienced in the Premier League, but he already looks a good signing for the £40 million fee paid. Apart from his goal, Palmer was precise with his distribution and he had a pass success rate of 96%. Overall, he had four attempts on goal and missed one glorious chance. He lost possession only four times.
Chelsea could not get over the line despite their commanding position against Arsenal. They had a couple of lapses in concentration towards the end which Mikel Arteta’s side capitalised. Nonetheless, progress is being made under manager Mauricio Pochettino and the club have moved into 10th in the table after the stalemate.
They were good against one of the best teams from last season and will face similar challenges soon with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to tackle before the November international break. After yesterday’s showing, the club’s faithful will be optimistic that the Blues can secure positive results in those fixtures.
