Chelsea v Arsenal player ratings: Sanchez 4, Palmer 8; Raya 4, Rice 8

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta hails 'phenomenal' fightback from two goals down as team earns draw at Stamford Bridge

Mikel Arteta praised his “phenomenal” Arsenal team after they fought back from two goals down in the final 13 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino's men took the lead in the 15th minute after William Saliba's out-stretched arm blocked Mudryk's header.

After a VAR check, Palmer calmly drilled the spot-kick past David Raya to claim his second goal since signing from Manchester City earlier this season.

Raya gifted Chelsea their second goal in the 48th minute when the Arsenal goalkeeper failed to follow the flight of Mykhailo Mudryk's miscued cross from the left flank as it drifted over his head into the far corner.

But a miscued pass from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez allowed Declan Rice to give Arsenal a lifeline and Leandro Trossard bundled home the leveller with six minutes left.

“What went wrong was the start of the game,” said Arteta. “We didn’t play with enough purpose and clarity. We were just moving the ball without the intention to threaten them. That’s a really dangerous thing to do against teams like Chelsea.

“Then we didn’t win enough duels, and in tight areas when we had them, they escaped from that and they attacked open spaces, and they are really dangerous things to do.

“When we changed that and we changed the level after 20, 25 minutes, especially in the second half then it’s a different game. We became a much better team, even though we conceded the second goal and it’s a disappointment.

“The way the team reacted to the second goal is phenomenal from the players on the pitch and the players on the bench thinking ‘how the hell am I going to change this game?’ I loved that.

“I really liked as well going into the dressing room and it’s really quiet, after drawing 2-2 with Chelsea and coming back from 2-0 down, because I know that they wanted more. That’s the positive.”

Chelsea manager Pochettino, meanwhile, refused to lay the blame at the feet of Sanchez for allowing Arsenal back into the match.

“I'm disappointed because until the 77th minute we had the game under control against an amazing team,” he said

“Too many games that we’re watching every week, always mistakes. If you want to score, you want the opponent to make a mistake.

“Ninety per cent of goals are because the opponent made a mistake. Football is about mistakes.”

You can see the player ratings from Stamford Bridge in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.

Updated: October 22, 2023, 5:28 AM