- Arsenal and Chelsea involved in thrilling encounter at the Emirates
- Sensational second half sees four goals and plenty of drama
- Bellerin snatches point for hosts with late equaliser
- READ MORE: ‘Absolutely ridiculous’ – Chelsea fans and rivals all talking about one crucial moment vs Arsenal
Arsenal left it late but they secured a dramatic point in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Chelsea at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
Jack Wilshere broke the deadlock in the second half, but the Gunners midfielder saw his effort cancelled out almost immediately as Eden Hazard struck from the penalty spot.
Chelsea looked to have claimed all three points when Marcos Alonso scored his sixth goal of the season, but compatriot Hector Bellerin had other ideas as he swept home a brilliant equaliser in injury time to ensure that the two sides had to share the spoils.
It was an enthralling encounter between the two rivals, with only Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech preventing the scoring starting earlier. In turn, the Belgian shot-stopper in particular scores highly with us and he produced some great saves to keep his side in it.
Tiemoue Bakayoko disappointed, as did Alvaro Morata who missed some great goalscoring opportunities which ultimately proved costly. In contrast, Alonso bags a decent rating as he continues his impressive goalscoring form, as seen in the tweet below.
As for Arsenal, it wasn’t a great night for their backline, but Wilshere starred in midfield as he ended a goal drought in the Premier League dating back to May 2015, as did Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the left flank aside from the build-up to Alonso’s goal.
All in all, perhaps a draw was a fair result as both sides had their chances. Nevertheless, it doesn’t help them much when it comes to the battle for a top four finish as they would have been desperate to claim all three points in this one.
Arsenal player ratings: Cech 7; Chambers 6, Mustafi 7, Holding 7; Bellerin 7, Wilshere 7, Xhaka 6, Maitland-Niles 7; Ozil 7, Sanchez 7, Lacazette 6.
Substitutes: Welbeck N/A, Walcott N/A.
Chelsea player ratings: Courtois 8; Azpilicueta 7, Christensen 7, Cahill 7; Moses 6, Fabregas 7, Kante 7, Bakayoko 5, Alonso 6; Hazard 7; Morata 5.
Substitutes: Zappacosta 6, Drinkwater 6, Willian N/A.
Marcos Alonso, the top scoring defender (with 10) in PL of 2017, scores his 6th in PL this season – only Alvaro Morata (10) has scored more for Chelsea pic.twitter.com/tY0qEKqn5N
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) January 3, 2018
Jack Wilshere scores his 1st PL goal since May 2015, the 8th of his career (157th PL app) pic.twitter.com/lT98WcflG7
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) January 3, 2018
Both sets of supporters unsurprisingly thought that their respective team should have won the game, although from an Arsenal perspective, they were evidently delighted to see Wilshere back on the scoresheet and the contentious penalty decision in particular was still a talking point…
PASSION pic.twitter.com/WJjeOh0I6i
— Jack Flannigan (@JFlanniganUK) January 3, 2018
Didn’t deserve to lose this game. Great finish from Bellerin. But again, so easy for the opposition against our defence. Incredible to think we didn’t sign a CB. Never a penalty, embarrassing.
— George Pritchard (@Pritchard_G) January 3, 2018
I would have taken a point before the game without a doubt…but after that penalty decision no way i wanted to win it…but give boys credit for coming back to get that point
— Mozart (@Gooner4vr) January 3, 2018
Despite @FA having an Agenda against us, We have managed get a point from this match.
Petr cech should also improve on his penalty saving skills
— John AFC (@Fyucha_) January 3, 2018