Whilst Arsenal stopped their rot of wins against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Mikel Arteta is unlikely to be satisfied with just the one point on the eve of international break.
The Arsenal manager will come out and defend his team and he’s right to, but deep down he’ll know that it’s becoming harder and harder to win the Premier League.
For a moment, it looked as if Gabriel Martinelli had found that touch of magic that Arsenal needed at Robert Sanchez’s near post, who was there for the beating all afternoon.
However, Chelsea also looked dangerous whenever they went forward, even if Cole Palmer was nullified throughout.
Of course, it was Pedro Neto who found the equaliser, a player who Edu and Arteta have often wanted to bring to the Emirates Stadium, if reports are to believed.
Gary Neville praises Gabriel Martinelli after vital Chelsea goal
Without Neto at Arsenal, Martinelli is still the main man on the left, even if Leandro Trossard also has a claim to that title.
And when watching the game for Sky Sports, Gary Neville thought that Martinelli was ultimately Arsenal’s ‘danger man’ in the 1-1 draw.
READ MORE: Leandro Trossard suggests Arsenal made a mistake not signing ‘top player’ who joined Chelsea instead
Perhaps some fans would say something similar about Martin Odegaard who made a huge difference upon his return to the starting eleven.
However, it was Martinelli who impressed Neville the most, a player he was making note of even before he scored his goal.
Neville said: “He has been the danger man and the one Arsenal forward who has stood up today.
“It is quite close to Sanchez, who just lets that shot in at the near post, it is a big goal…”
Mikel Merino shows clear improvement for Arsenal
In terms of other players who impressed against Chelsea, Mikel Merino also looked better when he came on for Declan Rice.
Merino was poor against Inter Milan, but had a presence on the ball that we haven’t quite seen during his minutes at Chelsea.
Yes, there’s still progress to be made – Merino will ultimately want to be more in sync with the players in red around him.
But the Spaniard was strong and calm on the ball – something Arsenal have missed whilst Odegaard has been absent.
A frustrating result, but a performance that still had positives, even if Arsenal’s bounce back may ultimately come too late.
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