Chelsea surprised everyone by changing their approach and leading by two goals, but coach Mikel Arteta’s adjustments and luck helped Arsenal draw 2-2 in round 9 of the Premier League.
The key match of the Premier League last weekend took place in an unpredictable way. Underrated, host Chelsea – the team lost three and drew two, standing in the bottom half of the scoreboard after eight rounds – took a two-goal lead thanks to Cole Palmer’s penalty and Mykhailo Mudryk’s shot. In that situation, Arsenal – the team sharing the top spot with Tottenham – faces the risk of receiving their first defeat since the beginning of the season.
However, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s passing mistake created conditions for Declan Rice to score a stunning long-range shot, shortening the gap to one goal for Arsenal. About seven minutes later, the gap was leveled when substitute striker Leandro Trossard cushioned the ball from Bakayo Saka’s placed pass.
Troussard cushioned the ball to score a 2-2 equalizer for Arsenal, in the match in round 9 of the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Reuters
Below is an analysis on the Premier League homepage, about how tactical factors affected the match results at Stamford Bridge.
Unexpected approach of coach Mauricio Pochettino
At Stamford Bridge, the most surprising of Pochettino ‘s tactical changes was the abandonment of his usual high-pressing approach in favor of a more cautious midfield.
In the opening match , a 1-1 draw with Liverpool , the pressing team that Pochettino chose created a tense match. The Argentine coach wanted to avoid a repeat of that, so he applied a tight 4-4-2 formation, not closing on the Arsenal defenders but limiting the space for opponents to advance on the ball.
The 4-4-2 system was deployed by Chelsea against Arsenal. Photo: Premier League
This method is effective, when Arsenal ‘s two ball distributors , Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko, are followed closely and have difficulty rotating, thereby making the away team unable to speed up the pace as usual.
In addition, Arsenal’s hesitant and lackadaisical performance was said to be affected by heavy rain and a puddled field.
Palmer and Gallagher detonators
The two highest players in Chelsea’s attack, Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer, played freely and constantly moved, causing confusion in Arsenal’s defense and making mistakes in both goals.
First, midfielder William Saliba touched the ball from Mykhaylo Mudryk’s header in the penalty area, allowing Palmer to kick a penalty to open the score in the 15th minute. At the beginning of the second half, Ben White’s foul pass helped Chelsea counterattack. Mudryk accelerated on the left wing and crossed into the penalty area with too much force, accidentally sending the ball to the far corner, beyond the reach of goalkeeper David Raya.
The Premier League home page appreciates Pochettino’s use of Palmer and Gallagher as a “false 9”, helping to significantly overwhelm Arsenal in the midfield.
Arsenal’s two central midfielders, Rice (circle) and Jorginho (single arrow), are followed closely by Chelsea players. Photo: Premier League
In the first 68 minutes, before many substitutions changed the situation, Declan Rice and Jorginho were assigned to mark Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez respectively. Arsenal’s duo lost position many times, leaving both Gallagher and Palmer vulnerable, leading to dangerous counterattacks by Chelsea.
This was clearly shown in the first goal, when both Jorginho and Rice followed Caicedo and Fernandez in the opposing third of the field, allowing Gallagher to comfortably dribble the ball in the middle.
Arteta ‘s changes
Arsenal was more decisive, pressing high, kicking directly after the break. But Mudryk’s somewhat lucky goal in the 48th minute “poured cold water” on the away team’s playing spirit and the outcome of the match seemed to be settled, until Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah replaced him. Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho.
From there, Arsenal had two attacking midfielders, Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard, to occupy the midfield and provide options for more risky passes.
The connection between Smith Rowe and the defenders helped Arsenal create some momentum, although that did not seem to be enough without goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s foul pass allowing Rice to shoot a one-touch shot from a distance of more than 35 meters to bring the ball home. The far corner of the goal was vacated, shortening the gap to 1-2 in the 77th minute.
Kai Havertz, another change of Arteta, also left his mark. The German found the space between the lines that Arsenal lacked in the first 70 minutes. In the 84th minute, he passed to Bukayo Saka – who eliminated Malo Gusto on the right wing and then crossed to the far post for Leandro Trossard – another reserve player – to kick in the corner to set the score 2-2.
Havertz (circled) received the ball before passing it to Saka – who then assisted Troussard to equalize 2-2 for Arsenal. Photo: Premier League
Arsenal took 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 match, we didn’t play with enough purpose and clarity,” Arteta admitted, before adding that Arsenal became a much better team in the second half.
Meanwhile, lack of experience and bravery caused Chelsea to lose victory, from not being able to adapt to the arrival of Smith Rowe and Havertz to making personal mistakes at important times.
The 2-2 result caused Chelsea to break their two-winning streak in the Premier League and is currently ranked 10th with 12 points. Meanwhile, Arsenal maintained their unbeaten run from the beginning of the season to rise to second with 21 points like Man City, but ranked behind in sub-stats.
In round 10, Chelsea still plays at Stamford Bridge against Brentford, while Arsenal returns to the Emirates home ground to take on bottom club Sheffield United.