How Arsenal snatched a point from Chelsea

Chelsea surprised everyone by changing their approach and taking a two-goal lead, but adjustments by coach Mikel Arteta and luck helped Arsenal draw 2-2 in round 9 of the Premier League.

The Premier League's biggest game of the weekend unfolded in an unpredictable manner. Despite being underdogs, Chelsea, who had lost three and drawn two and were bottom of the table after eight games, took a two-goal lead thanks to a Cole Palmer penalty and a strike from Mykhailo Mudryk. Arsenal, who were joint leaders with Tottenham, were in danger of suffering their first defeat of the season.

However, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's error in passing allowed Declan Rice to score a superb long-range effort to reduce Arsenal's lead to one goal. Seven minutes later, the gap was levelled when substitute Leandro Trossard tapped in from Bakayo Saka's well-placed pass.

Troussard scored the equalizer for Arsenal, 2-2, in the match of round 9 of the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Reuters

Below is an analysis from the Premier League homepage of how tactical factors influenced the outcome of the match at Stamford Bridge.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino's unexpected approach

At Stamford Bridge, the most surprising of Pochettino's tactical changes was the abandonment of his usual high pressing approach in favour of a more cautious midfield.

In the opening match, a 1-1 draw with Liverpool, Pochettino's high pressing formation created a tense game. The Argentine coach wanted to avoid a repeat of that, so he applied a tight 4-4-2 formation, not pressing Arsenal's defenders but limiting the space for the opponent to attack.

Chelsea deployed a 4-4-2 system against Arsenal. Photo: Premier League

This worked, as Arsenal's two ball-distributing players, Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko, were closely marked and had difficulty in circulating, preventing the visitors from pushing the tempo as usual.

In addition, Arsenal's hesitant and uninspired performance was said to be affected by heavy rain and a puddled pitch.

Palmer and Gallagher Detonators

Chelsea's two most advanced players, Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer, played freely and constantly on the move, causing confusion for Arsenal's defense and making mistakes for both goals.

First, defender William Saliba handled Mykhaylo Mudryk's header in the box, allowing Palmer to score the opening penalty in the 15th minute. Early in the second half, Ben White's poor pass allowed Chelsea to counterattack. Mudryk accelerated down the left wing and crossed into the box with too much force, accidentally sending the ball into the far corner, beyond the reach of goalkeeper David Raya.

The Premier League homepage highly appreciated Pochettino's use of Palmer and Gallagher in the "false 9" position, helping to significantly overwhelm Arsenal in the midfield.

Arsenal's two central midfielders, Rice (in the circle) and Jorginho (single striker), are closely followed by Chelsea players. Photo: Premier League

In the first 68 minutes, before a series of substitutions changed the game, Declan Rice and Jorginho were tasked with marking Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez respectively. The Arsenal duo repeatedly lost their positions, leaving Gallagher and Palmer exposed, leading to dangerous Chelsea counter-attacks.

This was evident in the first goal, when both Jorginho and Rice were closely tracking Caicedo and Fernandez in the final third, allowing Gallagher to freely dribble through the middle.

Arteta's changes

Arsenal were more decisive, pressing high and playing direct after the break. But Mudryk's lucky strike in the 48th minute "poured cold water" on the visitors' spirit and the match seemed to be settled, until Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah replaced Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho.

From there, Arsenal have two attacking midfielders, Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard, to occupy the midfield area and provide options for more adventurous passing.

The link-up play between Smith Rowe and the defenders gave Arsenal some momentum, although it would not have been enough if it had not been for a poor pass from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez which allowed Rice to fire a one-touch shot from 35 yards into the far corner of the empty net, reducing the gap to 1-2 in the 77th minute.

Kai Havertz, another Arteta substitution, also made his mark. The German found the space between the lines that Arsenal had lacked in the opening 70 minutes. In the 84th minute, he passed to Bukayo Saka - who picked out Malo Gusto on the right flank and crossed to the far post for Leandro Trossard - another substitute - to slot home the corner to make it 2-2.

Havertz (circled) received the ball before passing to Saka - who then assisted Troussard to equalize 2-2 for Arsenal. Photo: Premier League

Arsenal take advantage of Chelsea's inexperience

According to the Premier League homepage, not only thanks to Arteta's tactical and personnel changes, Arsenal snatched a point from Chelsea thanks to their attitude and risk-taking.

"At the beginning of the game we didn't have enough purpose and clarity," Arteta admitted, before adding that Arsenal became a much better team in the second half.

Meanwhile, a lack of experience and character caused Chelsea to lose the victory, from not being able to adapt to the appearance of Smith Rowe and Havertz to making individual mistakes at important moments.

The 2-2 result ended Chelsea's two-game winning streak in the Premier League and they are now 10th with 12 points. Meanwhile, Arsenal maintained their unbeaten run from the start of the season to rise to second with 21 points, the same as Man City, but behind on goal difference.

In round 10, Chelsea will still play at Stamford Bridge against Brentford, while Arsenal will return to Emirates Stadium to host bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.

Hong Duy (according to Premier League )

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