Arsenal fall further behind in title race with Neto securing Chelsea a hard-fought draw
Pedro Neto’s first Premier League (PL) goal for Chelsea helped them to a 1-1 draw with London opponents Arsenal, extending the Gunners’ winless league streak to four games.
Coming into this game, just goal difference separated these two teams in the league standings, and those close margins were mirrored in an evenly-matched first half, with neither team able to create a lasting period of dominance.
An early speculative shot from Cole Palmer forced David Raya into action before Malo Gusto missed what turned out to be the best chance of the half, heading over Neto’s cross from within the six-yard box.
At the other end, Arsenal’s most hopeful opening came when Gabriel Martinelli found himself a yard of space in the area, yet his weak effort was easily handled by Robert Sanchez.
A swiftly-taken free-kick from Declan Rice played in former Chelsea player Kai Havertz soon after, but his skillful finish was disallowed for a narrow offside to keep the scores tied.
Following a rather quiet start to the second half, a dangerous inswinging pass from Noni Madueke threatened to liven the contest, as Wesley Fofana volleyed over the bar on the stretch.
That opportunity wasn’t quite the trigger for a wave of excitement, but with an hour played, the stalemate was nonetheless broken when Martin Odegaard – making his return to PL action – found Martinelli, who kept his composure to slot in at Sanchez’s near post.
🎶 He comes from Sao Paulo 🎶 pic.twitter.com/Z4pJfLAzDR
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 10, 2024
However, the Blues were soon on level terms as Neto cut inside and fired a low strike past the outstretched glove of Raya 10 minutes later.
Goalscoring chances were few and far between in the final stages, with an offside flag denying Nicolas Jackson before another offside sequence at the other end concluded with a clever, but ultimately irrelevant save from Sánchez.
Chelsea’s quest for a first H2H win since August 2021 continues, but a point here keeps them third in the PL rankings having lost just one of their last 10 league games (W5, D4).
As for hopeful title contenders Arsenal, they are now nine points off league leaders Liverpool, trailing Chelsea on GD and frustratingly without an away PL win since mid-September.