Gabriel Martinelli granted Mikel Arteta’s squad a lead at Stamford Bridge; however, they could not sustain it and ultimately failed to secure a victory.

Arsenal lost further ground in the Premier League title race, despite Martin Odegaard’s fine performance in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

The first half intermittently suggested vitality, with both teams creating opportunities; but, a lack of finishing skill led to a scoreless draw at halftime. Kai Havertz thought he had outwitted his previous club by scoring from a quick free-kick; nevertheless, the German was slightly offside.

Cole Palmer’s original long-range effort was deflected over by David Raya.

Gabriel Martinelli experienced a difficult first half, unable to seize a crucial opportunity to score despite having a clear route to the goal. Despite lingering doubts regarding his final output, the Brazilian winger addressed his detractors by scoring the opening goal, 1-0, after Odegaard exploited lax Chelsea defending to locate Martinelli in a favorable position, who subsequently completed the strike at the near post.

The Blues had made minimal attempts to confront Raya, suggesting that an unusual effort would be required for them to re-engage in the competition. In the 70th minute, Pedro Neto executed a formidable long-range shot into the bottom corner.

Despite the potential for either team to achieve victory, none was realized, leading to Arsenal’s winless skid in the league extending to four matches, placing them fourth in the standings and nine points behind leaders Liverpool.

AFP

Goalkeeper & Defence

David Raya (6/10):

Produced a good stop early on to tip over Palmer’s long-range effort. Looked assured between the sticks before Neto’s fine equaliser.

Ben White (6/10):

The right-back faced a challenging confrontation with the swift Neto, a situation exacerbated by his booking in the first half. Managed adequately but failed to pose significant offensive threat.

William Saliba (6/10):

Limited the number of good chances Chelsea’s attackers had with a fine showing.

Gabriel Maghalhaes (6/10):

Helped to keep Jackson quiet, despite the Senegalese forward’s pace.

Jurrien Timber (5/10):

Like White, Timber offered little support to Martinelli and then Trossard down the left as he remained conscious of Chelsea’s pace.

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Midfield

Martin Odegaard (8/10):

In his initial appearance since August, the Norwegian demonstrated his significance with a moment of brilliance for Martinelli’s score. Performed exceptionally to endure the entire 90 minutes.

Thomas Partey (6/10):

Helped to keep Palmer quiet, which was his biggest responsibility of the match.

Declan Rice (5/10):

Battled through the pain barrier but couldn’t stamp his authority on the game in the same way that Caicedo did for Chelsea.

AFP

Attack

Bukayo Saka (5/10):

He was unable to influence the game as Chelsea assigned two men to neutralize him. Replaced with 10 minutes remaining due to an injury.

Kai Havertz (6/10):

A goal was disallowed in the first half, and further attempts to score were unsuccessful, culminating in Trossard seizing an open goal in the end.

Gabriel Martinelli (7/10):

Never gave up after a difficult first half, and got his rewards by scoring Arsenal’s opener.

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Subs & Manager

Mikel Merino (6/10):

Nearly scored minutes after coming on, but couldn’t get enough purchase on his header.

Leandro Trossard (5/10):

What was he contemplating? Seized a late opportunity from Havertz as the German prepared to strike the ball.

Gabriel Jesus (5/10):

Came on for Saka but didn’t threaten.

Mikel Arteta (6/10):

Arsenal performed adequately and had the potential to secure victory, however the Spaniard will be concerned about his team’s ongoing winless streak.