With Sky switching to their coverage of Sheffield United versus Manchester United, the words of Mauricio Pochettino and Mikel Arteta will have to wait another day. But no matter! Because David Hytner was at Stamford Bridge and his report is in …
… while Tim de Lisle is on point to keep you posted on events at Bramall Lane! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Declan Rice speaks to Sky. “First half is the worst we’ve played all season in terms of sloppiness … massive credit to Chelsea … they were a tough opponent … it was never going to be easy … once I got the first we kept pushing … it’s a positive result from where we came from … second half we showed what we are about … belief, hunger, a never-say-die attitude … it’s a massive team effort … we showed great heart and character … I’ve been due [a goal] here to be fair … I’ve always wished the club well, they done massive things for me in the past at the start of my career, so it’s nice to get a goal here … more importantly I’m so happy for the Arsenal fans.”
Mikel Arteta is booked for dispensing some folksy advice in the direction of the referee, but he’s the happier of the two managers, no doubt. His team were second best for most of the match, but seemingly out of nowhere clawed back a two-goal deficit to salvage a draw that under the circumstances will feel like a win. They leapfrog Liverpool into second, just behind the leaders Manchester City on goal difference. Meanwhile that’ll hurt mid-table Chelsea, who are now on a one-win-in-12 run at home in the league, though when the pain subsides will surely find positives to build on; that’s the best they’ve played under Mauricio Pochettino, despite the late blemish on the performance. Not a great night for either keeper, mind you, David Raya and Robert Sanchez making costly mistakes and taking turns to look very jittery at the back. A fine 24 hours for Aaron Ramsdale, all considered, when you also factor in the arrival of his brand new bouncing baby boy!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 9 | 10 | 21 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 9 | 11 | 20 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 9 | 15 | 16 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| 7 | Brighton | 9 | 4 | 16 |
| 8 | West Ham | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| 9 | Chelsea | 9 | 4 | 12 |
| 10 | Man Utd | 8 | -3 | 12 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 9 | -4 | 12 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton | 9 | -4 | 11 |
| 13 | Fulham | 8 | -5 | 11 |
| 14 | Brentford | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| 15 | Nottm Forest | 9 | -2 | 10 |
| 16 | Everton | 9 | -5 | 7 |
| 17 | Luton | 9 | -9 | 5 |
| 18 | Burnley | 9 | -16 | 4 |
| 19 | AFC Bournemouth | 9 | -14 | 3 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 8 | -16 | 1 |
FULL TIME: Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal
Chelsea outplayed Arsenal for the most part, but now look. Arsenal remain unbeaten; Chelsea still can’t finish off teams at home.
Updated
90 min +6: Havertz accidentally elbows Cucurella on the lug. The home fans don’t like it, and it’s time for some early-season pantomime. Boo hiss, etc.
90 min +5: Jackson drops a shoulder to enter the box down the right, but his low diagonal shot, despite taking a small deflection, is easy for Raya to gather.
90 min +4: Saka sends a speculative shot straight down Sanchez’s throat. “Great game,” begins Simon McMahon of Dundee. “You can never really tell with sport. On which note, good luck to England at the rugby tonight. And I mean that most sincerely, folks.”
90 min +3: Caicedo gives the ball away needlessly in the centre circle. The mistake doesn’t lead to anything, but the crowd betray their nerves by groaning then giving their £115m man the what-for.
90 min +1: White checks Madueke crudely and goes into the book. Meanwhile Dan Christmas would like to take issue with Peter Oh (80 min): “Surely you’re thinking of Rooney vs Ronaldo? I know they’ve creatively edited the Beckham documentary but his red card was for a light flick on the calf.”
90 min: There will be seven added minutes! Plenty of time for somebody to find a winner.
89 min: … but perhaps too much so, because Nketiah stands on top of Caicedo’s boot and goes into the book. Kári Tulinius adds: “I think more than Schumacher on Battiston, tonight’s goalkeeper assault reminded me of nothing so much as Neuer’s decking of Higuaín in the 2014 World Cup final, also mysteriously unpunished. I think those sorts of fouls where what people imagined VAR would catch, not the piddling stuff it specializes in.”
88 min: Nketiah in space down the right. He looks to find Trossard, free in acres, cutting into the Chelsea box from the other flank. Chelsea are fortunate their area is otherwise densely populated, and the cross doesn’t get through. But Arsenal look well up for a winner now.
86 min: … and now they nearly take the lead, as Nketiah chases a long pass down the inside-right channel and sticks out a leg ahead of a lumbering Silva. He guides the ball across the out-of-position Sanchez and inches wide of the left-hand post! Wow. How this match has been turned around. Chelsea have played so well, only to capitulate without warning!
GOAL! Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal (Trossard 84)
Saka cuts back up the right flank and crosses deep. Trossard is free on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He opens his body and slots under Sanchez! Delicious finish, and out of nowhere, Arsenal have hauled themselves level!
Updated
83 min: A double change for Chelsea. Sterling and Palmer make way for Madueke and – huge cheer for the returning hero - James.
82 min: Sterling chases after a long pass down the left but there’s nobody in the middle and he hoicks his attempt at a cutback out for a goal kick. “I know it makes the English feel proud that Rice was purchased for over 100 million, but let’s face it, it was the scam of the decade,” opines touchpaper-igniting expert Jeff Sax. “Most average players can score when there’s no goalkeeper in goal.”
80 min: Sterling works his way down the left and wins a corner. Fernandez takes long. Palmer pulls back for Gusto, who sends a weak forward pass down the throat of Raya. Stamford Bridge – where Chelsea have won just one of their last 11 – is suddenly collectively on edge now. “Gabriel-on-Gallagher wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Beckham-on-Simeone ‘98 but the same body parts were involved if I’m not mistaken,” quips Peter Oh, warming to a theme.
79 min: Both goalkeepers have had an absolute shocker tonight. Arsenal respond to the latest netminding fiasco by sending on Trossard and Havertz in place of Odegaard and Martinelli.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal (Rice 77)
Chelsea looked completely comfortable, then suddenly Sanchez, well to the left of his goal, passes out towards nobody in particular. Rice latches onto the loose ball and hits a first-time long-distance rake that curls into the left-hand portion of the unguarded net. What a finish! What a howler from Sanchez!
Updated
75 min: Gallagher nicks the ball off Gabriel and takes a scrape on the tip of his trouser arrangement for his trouble. That was a big naughty from Gabriel, who is probably fortunate he didn’t make proper contact, allowing the referee to mainly ignore the entire incident. Gallagher also fortunate in a very different, but fairly obvious, way.
73 min: Arsenal are offering very little in attack, and the hosts are quite happy to let them have the ball 30 yards out. “I do think referees get too much criticism, but I’m genuinely curious as to what they actually talk about at their meetings,” writes Espen B. “After they failed to give Wolves a pen when Onana committed assault, Howard Webb apologized, admitted they made a mistake and said they would learn from it. Two months later we have literally the exact same situation and yet again, no penalty. I don’t even know how it’s possible.”
71 min: Palmer curls a shot towards the bottom-left corner. Just wide. Then Cucurella clips Saka late, and goes into the book. He’s not happy about it and gets right up in the linesman’s grille. Treading a fine line.
70 min: Cucurella latches onto Saliba’s poor header and makes good down the left. He bides his time before slipping a low cross in for Jackson, who cushions a pass to Sterling on the penalty spot. Gabriel does very well to block the shot and clear.
68 min: Arsenal make a double change. Jesus and Jorginho make way for Nketiah and Smith Rowe.
66 min: Arsenal’s corner is no good and Chelsea break upfield. Sterling slips Jackson into space down the inside right. Jackson turns down the opportunity to shoot, instead attempting to round Raya. This time the keeper is a hero, timing his dive at Jackson’s feet perfectly and snaffling possession. Chelsea very close to a third.
65 min: Gabriel teases Gusto down the left and crosses deep. There’s nobody there in red, but Cucurella heads behind for a corner just to be safe. Before it can be taken, Mudryk goes off to a standing ovation; Jackson replaces him.
64 min: Arsenal haven’t had a shot on target yet. “Sanchez-on-Jesus was not anywhere near as bad as Schumacher-on-Battiston ‘82, but the same body parts were involved if I’m not mistaken,” notes Peter Oh.
62 min: Sanchez’s challenge was enough to stun Jesus for a couple of minutes. Happily once the physio gives him the once-over, the Arsenal striker is good to continue.
60 min: Odegaard loops in. Sanchez comes haring off his line to clear, also bringing down Colwill and Caicedo … plus Jesus and Tomiyasu! Four for the price of one! No idea how that’s not a penalty, but those are the special unwritten laws of goalkeeping for you.
Updated
59 min: Cucurella tugs back Saka as the Arsenal winger prepares to take off down the right. Free kick, which Odegaard will take. Everyone likes up on the edge of the box.
58 min: Raya passes out from the back, straight to Palmer, who was standing right in front of him, ten yards away. What a mistake. He earns a reprieve by standing up to Palmer as the striker tries to round him. He blocks Palmer’s shot out for a corner, from which Colwill heads over while unchallenged six yards out. The flag goes up correctly for offside, but Arsenal are all over the shop at the back. Raya is having a shocker.
Updated
56 min: Martinelli drives down the left and wins a corner he takes himself. The ball’s half cleared. Jorginho has a shot. Blocked. Tomiyasu has another go. It pings obviously off Caicedo, and out for another … no, the referee and his linesman have both missed that. Goal kick, and the pressure’s off Chelsea.
54 min: The second corner is hit long from the left. Gabriel heads harmlessly wide right. Neither keeper covering themselves in glory so far tonight.
53 min: Caicedo ships possession 30 yards from his own goal. That was too easy for Rice, who then slips Martinelli into space down the left. Martinelli cuts into the box and aims a curler towards the top right. The ball deflects out for a corner which Saka sends into the six-yard box. Sanchez flaps it out for another corner, claiming he’d been impeded. Not so.
51 min: Saka tries to get something going for Arsenal up the other end, but his run down the right comes to nought. He tries again soon after, though, and his delivery from the byline forces Sanchez to tip away from under his bar. Saka certainly looks Arsenal’s most likely.
49 min: Shades of Paul Konchesky versus Pepe Reina in the 2006 FA Cup final. Either that or a stroke of absurd genius. You decide.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal (Mudryk 48)
Odegaard loses possession and Mudryk probes down the left. He’s given too much time to think. He crosses … or is it a shot? It’s probably a cross, an outswinger intended for Sterling at the far stick, but it floats over Raya, stranded on the right-hand edge of his six-yard box, and into the top right!
Updated
47 min: A slow, measured start to the half.
Arsenal get the second half underway. “Fielding your non defender Zinchenko against Chelsea’s best attacking threat Sterling is asking for trouble,” writes Sean Orlowicz. “Should be Tomiyasu out there.” Mikel Arteta hears ya, Sean. On comes Tomiyasu in Zinchenko’s place.
Half-time reading. Rest in peace, Sir Bobby.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal
Chelsea deservedly lead. Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season is under threat.
45 min +2: Cucurella rakes a pass down the right for Sterling, who keeps the ball in play adroitly only to find there’s nobody in blue in the middle. He waits for help to arrive and eventually finds Fernandez, who floats a harmless shot into Raya’s midriff.
45 min +1: Sterling dribbles infield from the right and is bundled over in the penalty spot. Legally so, however. The referee isn’t bothered, and VAR agrees with that assessment.
45 min: Silva is booked for a fairly blatant block on the in-flight Jesus. There will be two extra first-half minutes.
44 min: Sterling spins past Zinchenko into space and tears off down the right. He slips a pass infield for Gusto, who has Fernandez to his left and Sterling to his right. Gusto goes for it himself and whistles a shot towards the top right, but a smidgen too high and wide.
Updated
42 min: Mudryk’s poor clearing header falls to Jesus, whose volley is so poor it doesn’t go out of play near the left-hand corner flag. Martinelli revives the attack but his cross goes straight down Sanchez’s throat. Arsenal have been uncharacteristically stodgy in attack.
40 min: Odegaard has been very quiet. He pops up here, and plays a cute pass around the corner and down the inside-left channel. Only problem being, neither Martinelli nor Jesus have anticipated it.
38 min: A ball comes in from the Chelsea right. Fernandez heads down the inside-right channel for Gallagher, who nearly rounds Raya but can’t quite force the ball past the keeper. It’s not a goal kick, though, because the flag correctly goes up for offside. Arsenal’s defence was a wee bit all over the place, however.
36 min: Fernandez takes the ball away from Rice, then Chelsea enjoy a bit of possession. Saka, somewhat frustrated, clips Cucurella on the back of the heel. You’ve seen yellow cards given for less, though this one’s no great outrage.
35 min: It’s all pretty scrappy right now.
33 min: Arsenal continue to hog possession, but Chelsea maintain their shape.
31 min: Martinelli’s presence forces a corner of Colwill down the right. It’s worked back to Jorginho, who floats a harmless speculative ball into the box. It’s easily cleared. Sanchez hasn’t had much to do yet.
29 min: The game restarts and Chelsea nearly double their lead. A refreshed Gallagher rolls a pass down the inside left for Palmer to chase. Palmer enters the box and threads a shot across Raya and inches wide of the right-hand post.
Updated
27 min: White and Jesus combine to win an Arsenal corner down the right from which Chelsea break upfield. Gusto rampages down the right. He’s stripped of possession by Martinelli, who starts dribbling back upfield only to be dispossessed by Gusto, who he then fouls. Lucky for Martinelli that nothing comes from the resulting free kick, other than Gallagher taking a fierce clearance under the ribs.
Updated
25 min: A speculative ball down the right. Sanchez comes racing out of his area to clear. Jesus gets there first and rounds him on the outside, but can’t find anyone in the middle with his cross. Arsenal have enjoyed 80 percent of possession since the penalty.
24 min: Silva comes sliding in for a 50-50 with Martinelli. He gets the ball, which is just as well because he catches his man too. Martinelli holds his leg in pain but the referee doesn’t see anything sinister in it. To be fair, Silva looked just about in control, but no doubt other opinions will be available on the world wide web. At least Martinelli is OK to continue, springing up soon enough.
22 min: Rice comes again, though, and his powerful run down the left wins a corner off a combination of Gusto and Caicedo. But nothing comes of it. Better from Arsenal, mind you. “How on earth is using your arms for leverage when jumping to head a ball unnatural?” asks Jakob Mathiszig-Lee. “At least we know what the handball rule for this week is. Excited for next year’s kits which will surely be tubes that fix players arms to their sides to avoid infringement of this ever-fluid rule?”
20 min: Zinchenko strokes a pass down the inside-left channel for Rice, who with Jesus on the edge of the six-yard box, sends in something that’s neither a shot nor a cross. It is a goal kick, though.
19 min: Jorginho plays a simple pass out of play. The Chelsea fans enjoy baiting their former hero. “I don’t really know the handball rule anymore, but the two pens given today are 100% handballs, clear cut,” writes Declan O’Brien. “People seem to be addicted to controversy.”
18 min: Arsenal have had 57 percent of possession so far, but to little effect. Meanwhile, here’s Alex Whitney: “Mudryk, going for the header, had both arms spread wide. As did Sailba. The rule, as written, is stupid.”
16 min: That’s got Stamford Bridge singing in the rain. Chelsea have been the better side since the get-go, and this is a big test for Arsenal now.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (Palmer 15 pen)
Palmer slots so calmly into the bottom left. Raya went the wrong way. That’s such a confident dispatch, and Chelsea lead thanks to Saliba’s carelessness!
Updated
Penalty to Chelsea!
14 min: Saliba’s arm was adjudged to be in an unnatural position, and the referee points to the spot. After the Diaz-Keane incident at Anfield earlier today, that’s a consistent decision. Palmer to take.
Updated
12 min: Sterling crosses from the right. Mudryk heads forward. The ball clanks off Saliba’s arm, which is held shoulder high. The referee isn’t interested, but VAR checks, and when play eventually stops, he’s ushered over to the monitor for a second look.
Updated
10 min: Colwill miskicks violently and is very fortunate that Odegaard can’t take advantage from the edge of the box. Then Zinchenko trips an in-flight Mudryk and goes into the book. This is a bit of a comedy of errors so far.
9 min: Palmer spins Rice and is clipped from behind. It could easily be a yellow, but it’s just a free kick, and Palmer is furious. The referee’s not for changing his mind. Are they ever?
8 min: Palmer catches Jesus with a poor one from behind, studs on heel. It’s a yellow card and could easily have been a red. VAR double-checks and the decision stands.
7 min: Palmer plays a cute pass down the right for Sterling, who again fails to find anyone with his cutback. Chelsea are working this flank well.
5 min: With Chelsea quickly out of the blocks, Arsenal haven’t really got going yet, so they slow things down with a bit of sterile possession at the back.
3 min: Another Chelsea attack ends when Sterling can’t find Caicedo, and the latter aquaplanes about 20 yards on his behind. The surface is slip-and-slide slick all right.
2 min: It’s absolutely belting down. Stair rods. Sterling breaks into space down the right but can’t find anyone with his cutback from the byline. The ball breaks to Fernandez, though, who attempts to steer a shot into the top right from the edge of the D. Over the bar it flies. Bright start for Chelsea, though.
Updated
Chelsea get the ball rolling. They’ll be kicking towards the Shed in this first half.
Pochettino emerges from the tunnel and his old Parisian buddy Arteta can’t suppress a big, warm smile as the pair embrace. A lovely moment. Then a silent one as a moment of reflection for the victims in Israel and Gaza is pretty much perfectly observed. Both teams will wear black armbands.
Updated
The teams are out! Chelsea in blue, Arsenal in red. It’s tipping down in south-west London. The hosts line up for the pre-match pleasantries wearing waterproof jackets, as though they’re heading out for 18 holes of golf. Might as well whip them off now and get used to the conditions, chaps. Anyway, slick-passing entertainment ahoy!
Updated
Mauricio Pochettino, who once played with his opposite number Mikel Arteta at PSG, speaks to Sky. “Reece James is available and is able to get time in the competition … if we need him for 15 or 20 minutes, or a little bit more, it is possible for him to play … [he and Arteta] will say hello, shake and have a big hug, then compete to win.”
His old pal Arteta adds: “Aaron Ramsdale is not available for the most beautiful reason in life … Bukayo Saka had to work really hard to be in the game today, and we’ve managed to bring him back … we must make sure we are at the right levels of focus at the beginning because it would be a tough test … the beauty of this game is that 20 years later you find each other managing two big clubs in a London derby … we have to enjoy this moment … [friendship is] absolutely suspended!”
Arsenal have the chance to go top tonight. They’ll need to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the fourth time in a row if they’re to do it. Earlier this afternoon, Liverpool beat Everton 2-0 at Anfield and were in pole position for a couple of hours before Manchester City beat Brighton 2-1 at the Etihad. Spurs don’t play until Monday evening, when they host Fulham.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 9 | 11 | 20 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 9 | 15 | 16 |
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville pays his respects to Sir Bobby Charlton on Sky. “Manchester United’s greatest representative around the world and has been for 50 to 60 years … he was one of the original Busby Babes … he lost a lot of his team-mates and colleagues … he came through … he won the European Cup, the World Cup, and was a director at the club … he used to come into the changing room after every match, win lose or draw … you would take it for granted that an icon would be walking around saying well done, or trying to pick you up if you’d lost a game … it’s obviously a great loss, but it’s obvious that he was English football’s greatest player and ambassador … a champion on the pitch and off it.”
It’s a small but poignant coincidence that tonight’s big game is at Stamford Bridge, for that’s where Sir Bobby played his 751st and last match for Manchester United in April 1973. Before the game Chelsea presented him with an inscribed silver cigarette case and formed a guard of honour; after the hosts won by a single Peter Osgood goal, the 35-year-old Charlton rode off into the sunset (via Preston, where he’d spend a couple of seasons as player-coach). Charlton’s innate modesty and sense of honour led to him apologising for what he considered a below-par personal display … like anyone would ever have loved or respected him any less.
It’s a sad day for football with the news of Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing. Both Chelsea and Arsenal have paid their respects to the Manchester United and England legend on social media.
Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 21, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of his family, friends and those at Manchester United at this difficult time. 💙 pic.twitter.com/fNRuPo1vIF
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 21, 2023
Our thoughts are with Sir Bobby’s family, friends and everyone connected with Manchester United at this time.
May he rest in peace ❤️ pic.twitter.com/C1tYUb3x0r
Chelsea make two changes to their starting line-up after the 4-1 win at Burnley. Malo Gusto and Mykhailo Mudryk replace Axel Disasi, who drops to the bench, and Armando Broja, who picked up a knee knock while on international duty with Albania and sits this one out altogether.
Arsenal also make two changes from their last game, the 1-0 win over Manchester City. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli replace Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard, who both drop to the bench. There’s no Aaron Ramsdale, who is on paternity leave after his wife gave birth to a baby boy.
Updated
Team news
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Thiago Silva, Colwill, Cucurella, Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Mudryk, Sterling.
Subs: Disasi, Badiashile, Madueke, Jackson, Ugochukwu, James, Petrovic, Maatsen, Deivid Washington.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Partey, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Trossard, Nelson, Havertz, Hein.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).
Preamble
After their near miss last season, Arsenal are taking a tilt at the title once more. Chelsea by comparison are simply trying to sort themselves out after a season-and-a-bit of wild flux. So given Arsenal have won each of the last three meetings between these two grand London institutions, to the aggregate score of 8-3, have won on their last three visits to Stamford Bridge, and haven’t lost on Chelsea’s patch since 2018, you can see why the Gunners are fancied to win this one tonight.
However the traditional Guardian MBM Preamble Ah-buts™ apply. Arsenal may be coming off the back of that statement victory over champions Manchester City, but Chelsea are slowly beginning to piece things together under Mauricio Pochettino. They’re on a run of three wins on the bounce, and are beginning to take some of the chances they’ve in fairness been creating this season from the get-go. So this is set up deliciously, not least because it’s a local matter with all the concomitant folderol. Should be a cracker. Kick off is at 5.30pm BST. It’s on!
