London Derby - Arsenal vs Chelsea Game Recap

Another passion-fueled London rivalry for North London’s Arsenal following their 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspurs, as they fight to extend their lead on the table and Chelsea fight to make it to top 5. Both teams had previous results of three wins and two draws, making it a close battle. A home advantage for Arsenal will fuel them with support from local fans, but Chelsea fans will be in attendance as well, cheering on the blues as they fight for a victory.

(Image credit to Wikipedia)

Arsenal started on a high with the momentum of their 4-1 win against Tottenham, and Chelsea were hoping to get back in the game after draws against Burnley and Leeds. Just 5 minutes in, Pedro Neto sent the ball to an eager Cole Palmer who took the shot but missed off the post, giving Arsenal a corner. A Saka set up for Zubimendi saw an attempt on goal which sailed wide, keeping the score at 0-0, and the tensions rising high.

French defenceman William Saliba headed the ball towards the goal before it was tapped in by Gabriel, giving Arsenal for the first goal of the game, and Saliba his first goal of the year!

After the solid start from Arsenal, they held a strong possession and had plenty of shots and attempts towards furthering the scoreline.

Play was paused for a while at the 33rd minute mark, after Cole Palmer went down, medical staff rushed onto the field to assess the situation.

Once play resumed, Gyokeres and Rice used their on-field partnership to take attempt after attempt in the attacking third of the field.

A corner for Chelsea, taken by Reece James was headed in by a Piero Hincapie own goal, evening the score between the two London sides right before half-time.

After the break, both teams came back on with laser-focus and a fighting will to get the upper-hand on the other team.

Gabriel Magalhaes didn’t waste any time, sending a right-footed strike towards the box but Sanchez was able to hold it. Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez used the half-space to their advantage and were able to send a shot to the bottom-left corner which forced Raya to make a low save.

Darren England paused the game, for a VAR intervention to evaluate if Chelsea would be allowed a penalty. After review, gameplay resumed as usual, without a penalty for the visiting side.

Fresh legs were brought onto the pitch with Gabriel Martinelli coming on for Leandro Trossard.

A foul from Cole Palmer was met with a yellow card, keeping him and the team wary of the potential of a red card. A reckless move from Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato saw him receive a yellow card.

A 65th minute Declan Rice cross met Jurrien Timber’s head, scoring Arsenal’s second goal of the game, and Timber’s third of the season.

After some unsporting behaviour from Pedro Neto, Chelsea received yet another yellow card, displaying the rivalry between teams is stronger than ever.

After a dangerous challenge by Neto, Darren England shows a red card, sending Neto off the pitch, giving Arsenal an advantage in numbers

Gabriel Magalhães was booked with a yellow card, and both Arsenal and Chelsea had a double substitution at the 75’ mark, offering fresh legs and new energy to the pitch, and allowing the teams to refocus and work hard for the last 15 minutes of play.

More unsporting behaviour from Chelsea, saw Enzo Fernández booked with a yellow, as the team were still fighting to combat the deficit.

An 86 minute double substitution for Chelsea saw Liam Delap and Alejandro Garnacho on for Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer, to give the team an extra push to close the score gap.

At the 88th minute, James whipped a cross from the flag to the 10-men Chelsea team who were desperate for the equaliser, the ball was knocked into the goal and Chelsea roared with celebrations. However after a VAR check, no goal was awarded due to an offside play.

After a tough battle in the 7 minutes of injury time, no further goals were scored. At the full-time whistle, the Arsenal home crowd cheered and screamed with celebration as they regained their 5 point lead on the league table, the Chelsea team and fans were disappointed after the loss, knowing that they fought a hard fight and used their opportunities to their advantage.

Article written by Milla Sinfield