In what was the most high-profile meeting of the Premier League midweek action, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side threw their lead away on two separate occasions to hand Arsenal a rare point to take away from Stamford Bridge. The Blues looked to be completely in the driving seat right from the off and were gifted an opportunity to open the scoring by Shkodran Mustafi. His highly questionable back-pass put Tammy Abraham through, and David Luiz was forced to bring him down.
Although Jorginho converted from the spot, as usual, a momentary lapse in concentration in the middle of the park allowed the Gunners back into the game. Later on, the Blues once again began to push for a winner, and they finally found it through Cesar Azpilicueta. Once again though, they gifted the ball to the Gunners in the good position, from where Hector Bellerin was able to find the corner with his weaker foot.
How Would Lampard React To The Defeat?
The gaffer is undoubtedly going to point out the sheer gulf in quality displayed by the two sides but will be forced to face the reality that the only number that matters in the final scoreline. The club legend is sure to feel hard done by, especially considering that they played more than two-thirds of the match with a man advantage. He could say that the players weren’t at their clinical best today, but that’s been the case for a while now. This is sure to be something that Lampard intends to deal with before the winter transfer window ends.
Here are the three individuals who cost Chelsea the result:
Kepa Arizzabalaga
The Spaniard was acquired from the La Liga for a fee that has been consistently laughed at by football fans, and his performances over recent weeks are only further justifying their actions. Kepa should’ve made himself bigger on the lead up to the first Arsenal goal, while the Spaniard just seemed to have a lack of spring as he dove to try and stop the Bellerin effort – a save that most top keepers would’ve probably made.
Emerson Palmieri
The full-back struggled to have any attacking impact and was often responsible for slowing the play down and moving the team back. Had multiple opportunities to make forward runs but never really timed anything well.
Also, his inability to pick out a single decisive cross is sure to be concerning Lampard and it would be a surprise to see the Italian being involved in their next game.
N’Golo Kante
The Frenchman was far from best on the night as he struggled to have too many defensive contributions either. He was on the fringes of the fixture right from the off and didn’t look like he’s was going to link up play going forward either.
The former Leicester City man was unable to make any of usual tackles in the middle of the park, and couldn’t provide too much cover either. Worst of all, when it mattered more, he slipped and allowed young Gabriel Martinelli a free run at goal.
