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The London club might have accepted a tie in advance against a rival team that have emerged as unexpected contenders in recent weeks – particularly when they discovered they had to compete missing their key defender, who injured himself in training on the weekend.

It was a different story when everything changed in the first half, with Chelsea left with ten players after Moisés Caicedo’s X-rated challenge on Mikel Merino. It was a type of foul that caused concern upon each replay, with the stand-in Arsenal striker fortunate to emerge unscathed.

This marked the team's sixth dismissal of the campaign in every tournament – excluding the one for the coach, the boss, in the win over Liverpool in October. Now the visitors had to be considering all three points; a result to give them a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

However it failed to materialize as planned. Chelsea had been in fire-breathing mood at the start. Maybe it was a reason for why Caicedo transgressed so severely. And they rocked Arsenal when Trevoh Chalobah looped home a header from a the captain's corner at the start of the second half.

The away side had to respond and they succeeded. It was Merino who scored the leveler, a tribute to his own tenacity as much as anything else. And it was he towards the conclusion who did almost nick the win, his drive well saved by Robert Sánchez. The home shot-stopper reacted quickly to save courageously on the follow-up from the visiting replacement, Viktor Gyökeres.

And so Arsenal left with a draw. It might have been better had the defender not cleared an high cross away from the striker at the very last but no one could say that it was not a fair result. And a thrilling match.

Who would have predicted it as a summit battle at the season's start? That was when the Blues had just lost at their stadium to the Seagulls to occupy eighth and the murmurs of unhappiness were audible. The improvement in their results was showcased by the Champions League defeat of the Spanish giants recently and the defender news had to be a boost for them.

The word from Arsenal was that the issue is not too serious but it was serious enough. With another defender already absent, it meant an acid test for Cristhian Mosquera and his partner in the heart of the Arsenal backline.

It was a local rivalry with lots of intensity and it was only the early stages in when the winger could be seen instructing his teammate to keep his focus; Saka pointed at his own head to emphasize. Timber had been fouled by Caicedo and by then we had witnessed Mikel Arteta’s first outburst after a defender's foul on the player and the first yellow card – Martín Zubimendi on the captain. There would be additional bookings. Three of the Arsenal back four were in the book by half-time, one player the exclusion.

Undoubtedly going to be a challenging situation for the referee, the man in charge, though he was a controversial figure on one level. Both sets of fans see him as a antagonist. Or phrases to that meaning. There were other descriptions aired about him at different moments.

Taylor had no option over the big call of the game, particularly when it was put to him by the video assistant referee, John Brooks, that he ought to review at Caicedo’s tackle on Merino. It was high and dangerous, a possible serious injury, the definition of excessive force. He did slip slightly. It was, nevertheless, a poor challenge.

Up until that moment, Chelsea had had the edge. They bristled with energy and they created a opportunities, the biggest one for Estêvão Willian on 18 minutes. It was a poor clearance by Mosquera after a winger's cross. The player blazed high. Just before, the midfielder had been required to stretch into a saving tackle on Neto. A shortly after, João Pedro paused after a slip by his teammate. He ought to have taken the chance.

The incident summarized that the opening period ended with Enzo Fernández seeming to swing an arm at the defender, causing him to be on the ground as the players made their way for the dressing room. The visitors needed to reorganize, to work out how to use their advantage. The winger had nearly scored in the early stages after a velvety control and pass from Eberechi Eze while the forward tested the keeper just before the interval.

It was Chelsea who started quickly of the gate upon the restart. From a James free-kick, the attacker forced Raya to push wide. From the corner, Chalobah outjumped Declan Rice to flick on for the back post. To unbridled joy from fans, the ball looped home.

The coach did not make defensive substitutions after the dismissal. He stuck with attacking players and a striker. That noted, it benefited to have James playing like two men in midfield. The captain was immense; a constantly influential presence and inventive, too. Some of his passing was of the top quality.

The visitors' equaliser had not been expected. The star, however, is always capable of making something happen out of nothing. He ran at Cucurella, who had been booked for fouling him in the early phase and, when the attacker cut in, his whipped delivery was on the money. Arsenal had a numerical advantage at the back area. The midfielder rose powerfully.

There was a shift in momentum after Merino’s goal. The manager had introduced the captain and the former Chelsea player the substitute just before it. He also introduced Gyökeres on and they pushed. They began to dominate in territorial terms and they had the chances for 2-1. Chelsea held firm.